THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



THE 

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



BY 

RAMON REYES LALA 

A X.4 TIVE OF MANILA 



ILLUSTRATED 




MDCCCXCIX 

CONTINENTAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

25 Park Place, New York 



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24074 



Cul'Y RIGHT i8g8 



CONTINENTAL PUBLISHING CO. 



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Hciu-^timiml Dciucn, 

WHOSE RECENT GREAT VICTORY OVER THE 

SPAXISir FLEET 

HAS BEGUN A NEW ERA OF FREEDOM AND PROSPERITr 

FOR MY COUNTRY, 

AMI TO 

JPrcsibcut illcKiulcn, 

IN \VHOSE HAND LIES THE DESTINY OF 

EIGHT Mtr.ETONS OF FILIPINOS, 

THIS KOOK IS DEDICATED. 



CONTENTS. 



PREFACE 23 

Early History of the Islands. 

Discovery and Conquest — Adventures of Juan Sebastian Elcano- 
Legaspi, the first Governor-General — Li-ma-hong, the Chinese 
Pirate — The Dutch appear upon the Scene — The Japanese, and 
the Martyred Saints 29-48 

The British Occupation. 

General Draper's Expedition — The British demand an Indemnity — - 

Intrigues against the British 49~56 

The Spanish Colonial Government. 

The Encomiendoros and the Alcaldes — The Present Division and 
Administration — The Taxes and what became of Them — Dila- 
tory and Abortive Courts — A New Yorker's Experience S7~70 

The Church in the Colony. 

Priesthood and the People — Conflicts between Church and State — 

Clashing among the Friars — The Monks opposed to Reform.. . 71-79 

The Various Tribes of the Philippines. 

Character of the Natives — A Native Wedding — Dress and Manners — 
The Half-Breeds, or Mestizos — Savage Tribes in the Interior: 
the Aetas, or Negritos — The Gaddanes — The Igorrotes — The 
Igorrote-Chinese — The Tinguianes — The Chinese : Hated but 
Indispensable 80-106 

The Mohammedans of Sulu. 

Cross or Crescent ? — The Sultan's State — The Dreaded Juramenta- 

dos — The Extent of Mohammedan Rule — Sulu Customs 107-1 18 



Contents. 
Manila. 

The Old City — Binondo and the Suburbs — Educational and Chari- 
table Institutions — The Cathedral and the Governor-General's 
Palace — The Beautiful Luneta ; the Sea Boulevard 1 19-137 

Other Important Cities and Towns. 

Iloilo ; Capital of the Province of Panay — Cebu, a Mecca for many 

P'ilipinos — General Topography of the Islands 1 38-1 50 

Natural Beauty of the Archipelago. 

A Botanist's Paradise — A Diadem of Island Gems — The Magnificence 

of Tropical Scenery — The Promise of the Future 151-15S 

A Village Feast. 

The Morning Cereng|nies — How the Afternoon is Spent — The Even- 
ing Procession — The Entertainment at Home — The Moro-Moro 
and the Fire-works J 59-173 

History of Commerce in the Philippines. 

The Spanish Policy — The Treasure-Galleons — Disasters to Spanish 
' Commerce — Other Nations enter into Competition — Fraud and 
Speculation — The Merchants of Cadiz — Royal Restrictions on 
Trade 1 74-1 87 

Commerce During the Present Century. 

The Royal Company — The Restrictions are gradually Abolished — 
Vexatious Duties on Foreign Imports — Duties made Uniform — 
Spanish Opposition to Foreign Trade — Trade with the Natives 
—The Decline of American Trade — Recent Measures and Statis- 
tics — Bad Results of Spanish Rule 188-198 

Agriculture : The Sugar and Rice Crops. 

Agriculture, the Chief Industry — The Principal Products of the 
Colony — The Cultivation of Sugar-cane — Methods of Manufac- 
turing Sugar — The Several Systems of Labor — The Rice Crop — 
Methods of Rice-Cultivation — Primitive Machines, and Impor- 
tance of the Rice Crop. . . - 199-213 



Contents. 

The Hemp Plant and its Uses. 

Description of the Abaca — The Process of Manufacture — Some F"acts 
about Hemp-growing — Difficulties with Native Labor — Tricks 
of the Nati\'es — Competition with Other Lands — Experience of 
a Planter — What the Hemp is used for 214-226 

Culture and Use of Tobacco. 

The Cultivation of Tobacco, a State Monopoly — Oppressive Condi- 
tions in Luzon — How Speculators take Advantage of the Na- 
tives — The Quality of Manila Tobacco — Methods of Preparing 
the Tobacco Leaf — Smoking, a Universal Habit 227-236 

The Cultivation of Coffee. 

The Origin of the Industry — Indifference of Coffee-planters — Specu- 
lation in Coffee — Methods of Cultivation — Harsh Methods of 
the Government 237-242 

Betel-Nut, Grain, and Fruit-Growing. 

The Areca Palm and the Betel Nut — The Nipa Palm and Nipa 
Wine — Various Fruits of the Islands — Cereals and Vegetables 
— Cotton and Indigo Planting — The Cocoa Industry — The 
Traffic in Birds' Nests 243—250 

Useful Woods and Plants. 

The Huge Forests — The Bamboo Plant and its Uses — The Bejuco 
Rope — The Useful Cocoanut Palm — Oppressive Regulations of 
the Government — The Early Missionaries Beneficial to the 
Natives 25 1-259 

Mineral Wealth of the Islands. 

Early Search for Gold — The Mining Laws and Methods of the Colony 
— Where the Precious Metal is Found — The Whole Country a 
Virgin Mine — Precious Stones and Iron — Peculiar Method of 
Mining Copper — Other Materials and the Coal Fields 260-272 



Contents. 

Animal Life in the Colony. 

The Useful Buffalo, and Other Domestic Animals — Reptiles, Bats, 
and Insects — A Field for the Sportsman — The Locust Scourge 
— The Chief Nuisances : Mosquitoes and Ants 273-283 

Struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 

Early Insurrections Against the Spaniards — The Burgos Revolt — The 
Present Rebellion — The Katipunan — The Black Hole of Manila 
— The Forbearance of the Natives — The Rebel Army — The 
Tagal Republic Proclaimed — Treachery of the Spaniards — Dr 
Jose' Rizal and his wife Josephine — Execution of Rizal — The 
Phihppine Joan of Arc — Rizal's Farewell Poem — Aguinaldo 
Confers with Admiral Dewey — Aguinaldo as Dictator : His 
Proclamations — Triumphant Progress of the Rebels — The Span- 
iards Fortify Manila— Sketch of Aguinaldo . 284-309 

Dewey at Manila. 

The White Squadron — Declaration of War, and Journey to the 
Philippines — Luzon Sighted, and Preparations for Battle — The 
Fleet Sails by Corregidor — First Shot of the War — The Spanish 
Fleet is Sighted — Dewey Attacks the Enemy — The Fate of the 
Reina Cristina — The Commodore Pipes all Hands to Break- 
fast — The Americans Renew the Battle — The Yankees are Vic- 
torious 3 10-325 

The American Occupation. 

Merritt and the Expedition — The Battle of Malate — Capture of 
Manila — Capitulation of the Philippines — Awaiting the Peace 
Commission — Instructions to Merritt 326-342 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE. 

■The Fortifications of Old Manila 30 

A Glimpse of the Old Canal 35 

In the Batangas Province 36 

In the Province of Pangasinan 39 

San Augustine Church, in Old Manila .... 43 

A Suburb of Old Manila 45 

The Abandoned Aqueduct 47 

Tower of Defense, Church, and Priest's House ... 50 

A Native Village in the foot-hills: Old Manila . . 52 

A Bamboo House in Pampanga Province ... . . 54 

A Street Scene in Albay 59 

Children of a Gobernadorcillo 61 

Along the Escolta : Principal Business Street in New 

Manila 63 

A Business Street in Old Manila 65 

In the Lumber District 68 

Throne Room of the Archbishop's Palace .... 72 

The Famous Shrine of Antipolo 74 

A Parish Priest jj 

Negritos of Pampanga .81 

The Igorrotes 82 

Interior of a Native Hut 85 

A High-born Filipina — upper garment of costly Pina . 86 

The Fashionable Church and the Village of Majayjay . 89 

Author in Silken Suit : kind worn by high-class natives . 90 

Full-blooded Native Girl in Reception Attire ... 92 

Negritos Enjoying a Primitive Sun-shade .... 95 

Volcano of Albay — a near view 97 

A Body-guard of Igorrotes 99 



Illustrations. 

PAGE 

A Native Restaurant, in Binondo . . ^ . . . loi 

Chinese Merchants on their way to the Joss House . . 103 

A Chinese Chocolate-maker 105 

Chieftains of Sult ; - . 108 

SuLU Warriors in Fighting Attitude no 

A Bamboo Thicket in Sulu . 112 

The Devil's Bridge, in Wild Laguna 114 

A Jungle in Luzon ' 116 

The Magnificent New Cathedral in Old Manila, and Ruins 

OF the Old Cathedral, Destroyed by Earthquake 1863. 121 
Commercial House of Russell & Sturgis ; First American 

Merchants; Later, Lala's Hotel 123 

"Home, Sweet Home-," as the Filipino knows it . . . 125 

Balcony of Manila Jockey Club, overlooking Pandacan . 126 

The Nactajan Mess: Manila Jockey Club .... 128 
Church of San Francisco, and the Old City Walls . .130 

A Rear View of the Governor-General's Palace . . 132 

A Water-giri 133 

The Garrote, Manila Method of Capital Punishment . 135 

The Beautiful Luneta 136 

At the Port of Iloilo 139 

Interior of a House Destroyed by an Earthquake . . 140 

Open-air View of an Earthquake's Violence .... 142 

A MiLKWOMAN OF CaLAMBA I44 

A Native Hut in the Interior 147 

Hot Water Springs, Albay ; and Mayon Volcano . . 149 

The Once-beautiful Botanical Gardens 152 

Malecon Promenade, along Manila Bay . . . . 154 

A Mestiza Flower-girl -157 



A Village Feast 

A Fashionable Church in Majayjay, Near Manila 
Home of a well-to-do Manila Merchant .... 
Cock-fighting : the Supreme Enjoyment .... 
Interior of the Cathedral, where all Processions Begin 

and End 

Square., OF Cervantes: Fashionable Quarter of Manila 



160 
162 
164 
166 



170 



Illustrations. 

PAGE 

A Scene from the Moko-Moko Play 172 

The Puente de EspaSa: Stone Bridge, Replacing the Old 

Wooden One 175 

Square of Cervantes — New Manila .... 178 

Tondo: The Ancient Quarter of Native Fishermen . .180 

Water-Carrie rs and Fruit-Vender 182 

Ancient and Present Method of Washing Clothes . . 184 

A Procession of Natives Carrying Fish 186 

A Mestizo Merchant 189 

The Escolta : Looking Toward Santa Cruz . . . .191 

A Milkman on his Rounds 193 

A Village of Santa Ana 195 

A Water-Carrier and Customer 196 

Weaving the Beautiful Pina Cloth 200 

Women Employed in a Pina Shop 202 

Natives Preparing the Ground for Sugar-Cane Planting . 204 
Old-fashioned Process of Drying Black Sugar . . . 206 
Cane-stalk Yard, Tanduav ; Drying Crushed Cane for Fuel 208 

Native Women Hulling Rice 211 

Mayon Volcano, Albay ; in the Hemp-producing District . 215 

A Hemp Warehouse, Manila 217 

A Hemp Press at a Busy Hour 219 

A Chinese Hemp Merchant in Gala Attire . .221 

A Wealthy Spanish Merchant of Albay ... . 223 

A Bamboo Bridge in Albay 225 

A Cigar and Cigarette Factory in Manila .... 228 
A View of the Suspension Bridge, Manila; over the Pasig 

River 230* 

Native Girls Making Manila Cheroots 233 

Spanish Luxury in the Old Days 234 

District of Taal: in the Batangas Province .... 238 
The Useful Buffalo : for all Hauling Purposes . ■ . 240 

A Betel-Nut Gatherer of Luzon 244 

A Typical Native Fruit-Girl 246 

"La Belle Chocolatiere " of Luzon 248 

Shifting Lumber in a Forest of Tayabas .... 252 



Illustrations. 

PAGE 

Natives Transporting Lumber to the Coast .... 254 

The Young Proprietor of a Cocoanut Grove Gathering Tuba 256 

A Wealthy Mestiza of the Upper Class .... 258 

A Group of Tagals Employed by a Mining Company . - . 262 

Another Glimpse of the Great Stone Bridge . . . 264 

La Laguna Lake ; the Neighborhood of a Gold Discovery 266 

A Country House in Tanguet Village 268 

House of Native Coal-Laborer of Cebu 270 

A Buffalo in Harness ; Harrowing the Soil . . . 274 

Grand Stand, Santa Mesa, where the Pony Races are run 276 

At the National Sport; Just Before the Contest . . 278 

A Wayside Restaurant 281 

A Native Servant-Girl 282 

Buffalo Transporting Lumber in Pampanga .... 285 

Enterprising Sugar Refineries, Tanduay .... 287 

La Bella Filipina in Troubadour Costume .... 290 

Foreigners at Tiffin in Manila 292 

Dr ]ost RizAL, Martyred Leader of the Present Insurrection 295 

An Execution of Insurgent Chiefs on the Luneta . . 296 

Entrance of the River Pasig, Manila 299 

The President of the United States and his War-Cabinet . 300 
Andres Bonifacio, sometime Rebel President of so-called 

Tagal Republic 303 

Emilio Aguinaldo 305 

Native Women: their Upper Garment — PaStuelo — of Pina . 306 

Types of the Tagbanua Tribe 308 

A Battery at the Corner of the Old Fortifications, Manila ; 

Facing the Bay 313 

The Spanish Fleet as it Appeared in the Philippine Waters 315 

The Hot Springs of Luzon Province 317 

The Reina Cristina, Flagship of Admiral Montojo . .318 

The Isla de Cuba ; To it the Spanish Flag was Transferred 322 

The Olympia ; Admiral Dewey's Flagship .... 324 

Admiral Montojo, Commander of Spanish Fleet at Manila 327 

Cavit6 ; A Rebel Stronghold, Noted for its Arsenal . . 328 

Alfonzo XI 1 1., THE Boy King of Spain. .... 330 



Illustrations. 



333 



The Oueen-Regext of Spain 

Rear-Admiral George Dewey . 334 

Don Basilo Augustine, Spanish Captain-General of the 

Philippine Islands . . 338 

General Wesley Merritt, American Commander of Mili- 
tary Forces at Manila 340 

Maps . .... 343 




Preface. 

About twenty j^ears ago, when a student at St. John's College, 
London, I was frequently asked by people I met in society for 
information regarding the Philippines and the Filipinos. Many 
also, who showed considerable interest, and who wished, for 
various reasons, to carry their investigations further, complained 
that there was in English no good book on the subject. Afterward, 
when I continued my studies at a French college in Neuchatel, 
Switzerland, I met with many similar inquiries, and here too in 
America I found demand for a comprehensive, reliable work upon 
my country. 

But it was not until I had traveled considerably through Europe, 
studying the history of the various States and peoples, that the idea 
of writing a history of my own fatherland occurred to me. It was 
mortifying then to think that the glories of my native land were no 
better known. Accordingly, I resolved to become the chronicler, 
and I began at once to collect material for a work on the Philip- 
pines, that should, I trusted, be deemed a permanent contribution 
to historical literature. 

Upon my return to Manila from Europe, I immediately began 
a study of the Colonial archives in the office of the Governor- 
General. From these I gathered many valuable data about the 
early history of the colony, and also much information that would be 
locked to the curious traveler. And on account of my knowledge of 
Spanish, and because of my friendship with the Governor-General 
Moriones, I was enabled to do this thoroughly. Thus I gradually 
laid the foundation for the present work. 



Preface. 

When, a few years later, — in 1887, — because of my sympathy 
with the rising cause of the insurgents, Spanish tyrants banished 
me from my country and my l<;indred, I carried away all the manu- 
scripts I had already written, resolved to finish the task I had set 
before me amid a more congenial environment. 

I came to the United States. Of this country I, in due time, 
became a citizen. However, I kept up my relations with friends in 
Manila ; for I still felt an interest in the fate of my native land. 
Though I have since revisited the Orient, I preferred to retain my 
American citizenship, rather than again put myself under the iron 
yoke of Spain. I have, nevertheless, kept pace with the march of 
events in the colony, and had, indeed, about completed my history 
when Dewey's grand victory denoted a new era for the Filipinos, 
and, hence, made the addition of several chapters necessary. I have 
thus added much of supreme interest to Americans ; bringing the 
book to the capture of Manila by the American forces. 

My acquaintance with the leading insurgents, — Rizal, Aguinaldo, 
Agoncillo, the Lunas, and others, — has also enabled me to speak with 
authority about them and the cause for which they have fought. 

In writing this work I have consulted all previous historians, the 
old Spanish chroniclers, Caspar de San Agustin, Juan de la Con- 
cepcion, Martinez Zuiiiga, Bowring, Forman, and various treatises^ 
anthropological and historical, in French, Spanish, and English. 

To all these writers I am indebted for man)' valuable facts. 

It has been my aim to give — rather than a long, detailed account 
— a concise, but true, comprehensive, and interesting history of the 
Philippine Islands ; one, too, covering every phase of the subject, 
and giving also every important fact. 

And my animating spirit of loyalty for my own countrymen 
makes me feel that I cannot more clearly and fully manifest my 
affection for them and my native land than by writing this book. 

Many of the pictures are photographs taken by myself. The 
rest were selected from a great number of others, that were access- 
ible, as being most typical of Philippine life and scenery. 

The student of history, and he that would learn something about 
the customs of the people, and the natural resources of the country, 



Preface. 

may, I trust, find the perusal of this work not without proht and 
interest. 

I desire to attest liere my gratitude for the many courtesies 
shown me, and for the hearty manner in which I have been 
received, in this great, free country. 

Everywhere it was the same. 

And I would say to all loyal, ardent Filipinos, that I believe that 
they eventually will not regret the day when Commodore Dewey 
sundered the galling chains of Spanish dominance, and when 
General Merritt, later, hoisted the Stars and Stripes over the 
Archipelago. 

The)' will, rather, most surely live to recognize and appreciate 
the unsullied manifold advantages and benefits incident to Ameri- 
can occupation and to a close contact with this honest, vigorous 
type of manhood. 

The Author. 

New York December, i8q8. 





Early History of the Islands. 

DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST. 

WHEN Magellan in the spring of 152 1 took formal posses- 
sion of Mindanao, one of the largest of the Philippine 
group, he was surrounded b}^ crowds of the curious 
brown-skinned natives of that island ; with sensations of awe, 
they watched their strange white visitors, believing them to be 
angels of light. It was Easter- week, and the Spanish discoverers,, 
with all the ritualistic splendor of the mass, dedicated the newl}^- 
found islands to God and the Church. 

The natives, too, manifested great friendliness to the tempest- 
tossed mariners. Indeed, one of their most prominent chief- 
tains himself piloted the exploring party to Cebu, where thou- 
sands of natives, arrayed in all the barbarous paraphernalia of 
savagery, stood on the beach, and, with their spears and shields^ 
menaced the strangers. 

The Mindanao chieftain, who had acted as pilot, thereupon 
went on shore and volunteered an explanation : these strange 
voyagers were seeking rest and provisions, having been many 
weary months away from their own country. 

A treaty of amity was then ratified according to their native 
custom, each party thereto simultaneously drawing and drink- 
ing blood from the breast of the other. Magellan then caused 

29 



^ 



30 



The Philippine Islands. 



a rude chapel to be built on this new and hospitable shore, and 
here the natives witnessed the first rites of that Church that, 
within a century, extended its oppressive swa)' from one end 
ot the Archipelago to the other. 

The King and Queen of the natives were soon persuaded to 
accept the rite of baptism. This they seemed to enjoy greatly. 
To persuade the good-natured savages to take the oath of alle- 
giance to the King of far-away Spain was but a step farther. One 




THE F(iRTlFICATIl!NS OV OLD MANILA. 



ceremony was probably as intelligible to them as the other ; and 
thus the first two links in the fetters of the Filipinos had been 
forged. 

With characteristic arrogance the Spaniards henceforth con- 
ducted themselves as the rightful masters of both the confiding 
natives and their opulent country. 

It appears, now, that the natives of Cebu were engaged in war 
with another tribe on the island of Magtan. The adventurous 



Early History of the Islands. 31 

Magellan, beholding an opportunity for conquest, and, perhaps, 
for profit, accompanied his allies into battle, where he was mor- 
tall>' wounded by an arrow. 

Thus perished the brave and brilliant discoverer, in the very 
bloom of life, when both fame and fortune seemed to have laid 
"their most precious offerings at his feet. 

Posterity has erected a monument on the very spot where 
this hero was slain. Cebu also boasts an obelisk that commem- 
orates the discovery ; while on the left bank of the Pasig river, 
Manila, stands another testimonial to the. splendid achievements 
of the intrepid Magellan. 

Duarte de Barbosa was now chosen leader of the expedition, 
and he, with twenty-six companions, was invited to a banquet by 
Hamabar, the King of the island. In the midst of the royal 
festivities the Spaniards were treacherously murdered. Juan Ser- 
rano alone — so the old chronicles relate — was spared. He had, 
in some way, secured the favor of the natives, and now, stripped 
of his clothing and his armor, he was made to walk up and 
down the beach, in full view of his companions on board the 
ships. 

For his person the natives shrewdly demanded a ransom of 
two of the Spanish cannon. A consultation was held among the 
Spaniards, and it was decided that it was better that one should 
perish than that the lives of all be jeoparded. And so Serrano 
was left to his fate. 

ADVENTURES OF JUAN SEBASTIAN ELCANO. 

Reduced, at last, to about 100 men and two ships, the Span- 
iards decided to return home. The captain of one of these— 
of the Victoria — was Juan Sebastian Elcano. This gallant sailor, 
after losing many brave companions and meeting many thrill- 
ing adventures, at last brought his ship safely to a Spanish port 
— three years after he had embarked, en route to the Moluccas, 
imder his first commander, the unfortunate Magellan. 

When Elcano and his seventeen companions landed in Spain, 



32 The Philippine Islands. 

they were mere skeletons, so reduced were they by hunger and 
disease. Everywhere the}' were received with acclamations of 
joy, and upon their arrival in Seville they straightway proceeded 
to the Cathedral, where, amid grand Te Dennis, they gave thanks 
to God for their return. 

It must, indeed, have been a strange sight to see this rem- 
nant, these gaunt survivors of the splendid company of adven- 
turers that had left that city but three years before,— ffaming 
with zeal for the spread of the Church, and glowing in the de- 
sire of conquest, — these few half-starved wretches, now walk- 
ing barefooted, with lighted candles, through the streets,— all that 
was left of that eager throng. 

And yet, pitiable as they were, they must have been conscious 
of an achievement that meant glory for their country and im- 
mortality for themselves. 

Nor were they unrewarded. All received food and money,, 
and Elcano, the leader, was voted a life-pension of 500 ducats ; 
and, in token of his great accomplishment in having first cir- 
cumnavigated the globe, the King knighted him, awarding him, 
as his escutcheon, a globe with the motto : " Pritiiiis circiiiniedii 
me." 

The cargo of the Victoria consisted of 26^^ tons of cloves and 
other spices : cinnamon, sandalwood, nutmegs, and so forth. It 
is said that one of the Tidor islanders, brought back with the 
expedition, who was presented to the King, was never per- 
mitted to return to his home, because he had committed the 
blunder of making inquiry regarding the value of spices in the 
Spanish markets. 

The Trinidad, the other vessel of this remarkable expedition, 
after man}' terrible hardships, fell into the hands of the Portu- 
guese, who sent the survivors to Lisbon. The}' reached that 
port five years after their departure with Magellan. 

The enthusiasm of the Spanish monarch and his subjects on 
account of these remarkable discoveries was unbounded. 
Other expeditions to the islands were soon fitted out. One, 
under the leadership of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, gave to them 



Early History of the Islands. 33 

the name of the Philippine Islands. This was in honor of Philip, 
Prince of Austria, the son of King Charles I., heir-apparent to 
the throne of Castile ; to which, in 1555, upon the abdication of 
his father, he succeeded as Philip II. 

This bigot, convinced by his religious advisers of the im- 
portance of winning the newly-discovered islands for tiie Churcii, 
caused another expedition to be fitted out from Xavidad, in the 
South Sea. 



LEGASPi, thp: first G0VERX0R-GEXER.\L. 

Accordingly, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, a well-known Basque navi- 
gator, of great piety, and with a reputation for probity and ability, 
set out with four ships and one frigate, all well armed and carry- 
ing 800 soldiers and sailors. Six priests also accompanied them. 
•One was Urdaneta, who had formerly sailed as a captain to the 
Moluccas. The avowed object of the expedition was to subjugate 
and to Christianize the benighted natives of those islands. 

After a propitious voyage, not without incident. General 
Legaspi resolved to cast anchor at Cebu, a safe port. On the 
Avay the ships stopped at the port of Dapitan, on the island of 
Mindanao. Prince Pagbuaya, the ruler of this island, was so 
astonished at the sight of these large ships off the coast of his 
countr\% that he commanded one of his subjects, who had 
some reputation for boldness, to observe their movements and 
to report his observations. 

He did. They were manned, he said, by enormous men 
■ with long, pointed noses ; that these strange beings were dressed 
in fine robes, and actually ate stones (hard sea-biscuits) ; most 
wonderful of all, they drank fire, and blew smoke out of their 
mouths and through their nostrils— referring, of course, to 
their drinking and smoking. He also said that they could 
command the thunder and the lightning — meaning their fire- 
arms ; — that their proud bearing, their bearded faces, and 
splendid attire, moreover, surely proclaimed them to be gods. 



34 lilt; Philippine Islands. 

Having heard this report, the Prince, accordingly, thought it 
not unwise to treat with these wonderful beings. Legaspi 
not only succeeded in obtaining provisions — in barter for European 
wares — from this chief, but he also obtained much useful informa- 
tion about his destination, Cebu. He learnt that it was con- 
sidered a powerful kingdom, whose greatness was much feared 
by other States, and that its port was not only safe, but also 
favorably situated. 

The General, therefore, determined to annex it to the Crown 
of Castile at the earliest opportunity. He landed at Cebii 
April 27th, 1565, and immediately began negotiations with the 
natives. 

These, however, remembering their successful resistance to 
Magellan's party but a generation before, opposed every advance 
of the Spaniards. The latter, notwithstanding, finally took pos- 
session of the town, and sacked it ; but for months they were 
so harassed by the chief and his subjects that they were several 
times on the point of retiring. Legaspi, however, decided to 
remain, and the natives, growing accustomed to their presence, 
gradually yielded to the new order of things ; and thus the first 
step in the conquest of the islands was made. The people were 
declared Spanish subjects. Happy at his success, Legaspi deter- 
mined to send the news at once to Spain. Urdaneta was there- 
fore commissioned to bear the despatches. In due time he 
arrived at his destination. 

Legaspi, meanwhile, steadily and successfully pursued the 
conquest of Cebu and surrounding islands. He succeeded 
most admirably also in winning the confidence of the natives. 
Their dethroned King Tupas was baptized, and his daughter 
married one of the Spaniards. Other alliances also were made, 
which bound the two races together. 

The Portuguese, the natural enemies of Spanish exploration 
and conquest, now appeared on the scene and attempted, in 
vain, to dispute the possession of the successful invaders. The 
Spaniards then built a fort, and plots of land were marked out 
for the building of houses for the colonists. In 1570 Cebu 



Eaiiv History of the Islands. 



35 



was declared a city, and Legaspi, by special grant from tiie 
King, received the title of Governor-General of all the lands 
that he might be so fortunate as to conquer. 

Soon afterward, Captain Juan Saicedo, Legaspi's grandson, 
was sent to the island of Luzon to reconnoiter the territory and 
to bring it into subjection to Spam. Martin de Goiti and a 
few soldiers accompanied him. They were well received by 
the various chiefs they visited. Among these were King 




A GLIMPSE OF THB OLD CAXAL. 



Lacandola, the Rajah of Tondo, and his nephew, the stern 
young Rajah Soliman, of Manila. Intimidated by the coun- 
tenances of the warlike-looking foreigners, and awed by the 
mysterious symbols of their priests, these superstitious chiefs 
agreed forever, for no consi'deration, and without reservation, 
to yield up their independence, to pay tribute, and to aid 
in the subjugation of their own countrymen. A treaty of 
peace having been made, the Spaniards acted as if the\' were 
the natural owners of the soil. 



36 



The Philippine Islands. 



Young Soliman, however, soon found occasion to demon- 
strate that he, at least, had no intention of carrvmg out his part 
of this enforced contract. He sowed the seeds of insurrection 
broadcast among the various surrounding tribes, and not onl}' 
carried on an ofifensive warfare against the invaders, but set 
hre to his capital, Manila, that it might not become the spoil 
of the invaders. Soliman and his little army were put to 
flight by Salcedo, who generously pardoned the young chief 




IN THE BATAN'liAS PROVINCE. 



upon his again swearing fealty to the King of Spain. Then, 
w^hile Goiti with his forces remained in the vicinity of Manila, 
Salcedo pursued his adventurous way as far as the Taal district. 
All the country of the Batangas province was also subdued 
by him. About this time Salcedo himself, severely wounded 
by an arrow, returned to Manila. 

Legaspi being informed of the occurrences in Luzon, soon 
joined Salcedo at Cavite, where chief Lacondola gave his sub- 



Early History of the Islands. 37 

mission. Legaspi, continuing his journey to Manila, was there 
received with much pomp and acclamation. He not only took 
formal possession of all the surrounding territory, but also de- 
clared Manila to be the capital of the whole Archipelago. He 
next publicly proclaimed the sovereignty of the King of Spain 
over all the islands. 

Speaking of this period, the old chronicler, Caspar de San 
Agustin, says: "He (Legaspi) ordered them (the natives) to 
finish the building of the fort in construction at the mouth of 
the river (Pasig), so that His Majesty's artillery might be 
mounted therein for the defense of the port and the town. 
He also ordered them to build a large house inside the battle- 
ment walls for Legaspi's own residence, and another large house 
and church for the priests. 

" Besides building these two large houses, he told them to 
erect 150 dwellings of moderate size for the remainder of the 
Spaniards to live in. All this they promptly promised to do; 
but they did not obey ; for the Spaniards were themselves 
obliged to complete the work of the fortifications." 

The City Council of Manila was constituted on the 24th 
June, 1571- On the 20th of August of the following year 
Miguel Lopez de Legaspi died. His was a most eventful, 
arduous life. His career was honorable, and he occupied a 
prominent place in the colonial history of his country. He 
was buried in the Augustine chapel of San Fausto in Manila, 
where his royal standard and armorial bearings hung until the 
occupation of the city by the British in 1763. 

LI-MA-HONG, THE CHIXP:SE PIRATE. 

Guido de Lavezares succeeded Legaspi as Governor of the 
islands, and had not long taken possession when he had to 
defend them against the assaults of the celebrated Chinese 
corsair, Li-ma-hong. 

This redoubtable Celestial had early shown a martial spirit, 
and became a member of a band of pirates that for many years 



3^ The Philippine Islands. 

infested the seas. Here he so distinguished himself by his 
prowess and cruelty that, upon the death of the leader, he was 
at once elected chief of the buccaneers. At length this Celes- 
tial Viking essayed an attack on the Philippines. It is said 
that he first heard of the remarkable wealth of the islands from 
the crew of a Chinese merchantman returning from Manila. 
After committing a few depredations along the coast, this 
Captain Kidd of the Chinese Main appeared before Manila on 
the 29th of November, 1594, with a fleet of 62 armed junks, 
manned by more than 2,000 sailors. Twenty-five hundred 
soldiers were also on board for effective warfare, and more 
than 2,000 Chinese artisans and women, with which he in- 
tended to found the colony that was to be the capital of his 
' new Empire. 

So secret was the landing of the Chinese, and so sudden was 
their attack, that they were already within the gates of the city 
before the Spaniards knew that they were at hand. 

Martin de Goiti, second in command to the Governor, was 
the first to receive their attack; and, after a brave defense, he was 
killed with many of his soldiers. The flames from his burning res- 
idence gave the Governor himself his first intimation of the enemy's 
presence. Flushed with success, Sioco, the Japanese leader of the 
buccaneers, then stormed the Fort of Santiago, where many Spanish 
soldiers had taken refuge. A small body of fresh troops coming to 
the aid of the besieged, the Chinese, after considerable loss, re- 
treated, fearing that other reinforcements might follow and cut off 
their return to the ships. 

It was now reported that Li-ma-hong himself, who, with the 
greater part of his force, was at Cavite, would lead the next assault. 
The inhabitants of Manila, therefore, awaited him in great terror. 

Fortunately, however, that intrepid warrior, Juan Salcedo, fresh 
from his conquests in the north, now came to the city's aid. Just 
about sunrise on the 3d of December the Chinese squadron again 
appeared in the bay near the capital. The Celestials disembarked, 
and, it is said, their leader, in an eloquent speech, incited his 
followers to the assault, with glowing promises of plunder. 



Early History of the Islands. 



39 



Meantime, while the Chinese were forming into battle-line, 
within the walls of the city the drums and the trumpets of the 
Spaniards kept up an inspiring din, and all that were able to 
bear arms hastened to the defense. It was an important moment in 
the history of the colony,— an hour big with fate ; for the coming 
battle would decide for either European or Asiatic domination. 

Again Li-ma-hong chose his trusted lieutenant to lead the 
attack ; and fifteen hundred picked troops, armed to the teeth, 
followed him, swearing to take the fort or leave their corpses 
as a testimonial to their valor. 




IN THE PROVIXCK OK IMN'CASIN'AN- 



The city was then set on fire in several places, and in three 
divisions the Chinese advanced to the attack, Li-ma-hong him- 
self from the outside supporting them with a well-directed can- 
nonade against the walls. 

After a spirited assault, Sioco succeeded in entering the fort, 
and here a bloody hand-to-hand conflict took place. Again 
and again the Spaniards forced their fierce assailants over the 
walls ; again and again the Chinese poured into the breaches, 
while the trembling non-combatants within the city awaited the 
result in agonized suspense. 



40 The Philippine Islands. 

Salcedo was at the front and everywhere. Time and again, 
with indomitable courage, he rallied his men ; and splendidly 
did they respond to his magnificent leadership. The old Gov- 
ernor himself was at the front, shouting encouragement ; and 
many prominent citizens also distinguished themselves by feats of 
remarkable heroism. The Chinese, once more, gathering their 
shattered numbers together, plunged into the ranks of their enemies, 
and it was not until after the loss of their daring leader that the few 
that remained turned their repulse into a disorderly flight, and 
Manila and the Philippines were saved to Spain and America. 
Salcedo now eagerly took the offensive and pursued the panic- 
stricken fugitives back to their ships, killing great numbers on the 
way. 

In vain Li-ma-hong tried to regain his advantage. Troop after 
troop were sent ashore, only to join the rout and return confused 
and disorganized back to the fleet. The Spaniards had con- 
quered. 

Li-ma-hong, nevertheless, was determined to found his Empire 
and to set up his capital in another part of the islands — in the 
province of Pangasinan. Salcedo was accordingly despatched 
against him, but was unable to dislodge him. Hearing, how- 
ever, that the Chinese Emperor also was about to send an ex- 
pedition against him, the wily pirate secretly departed, leaving 
his Spanish enemies not at all displeased at being thus cheaply 
rid of his presence. 

The friars, ever on the lookout for their own interests, attrib- 
uted their deliverance to the aid of St. Andrew. He, therefore, 
was declared the Patron Saint of Manila — high mass in his honor 
being celebrated at 8 A. M. in the Cathedral every 30th of 
November. 

The old chroniclers relate that some of the native chiefs took 
advantage of the disturbance to foment a rebellion against 
their Spanish conquerors ; but all other disturbances were speed- 
ily quelled. 

Civil disturbances, civil conflicts, now followed in the wake 
of these struggles against foreign aggression and domestic in- 



Earl}' History of the Islands. 41 

surrection. In these internal dissensions, all branches of the 
Government took part. It was the Governor-General against 
the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court against the Clergy, the 
Clergy against All. 

The Governor was censured for alleged undue exercise of 
arbitrary authority. The Supreme Court, patterned after the 
one in Mexico, was also accused of seeking to overstep the 
limits of its functions. Every law was reduced to the practise 
of a quibble, every quibble was administered with a dilatori- 
ness that was destructive not only to all legitimate industry, 
but also to the encouragement and maintenance of order. To 
make matters even worse, the clergy, with their pretense of 
immunity from all State-control, interfered in all matters that 
promised profit. Indeed, there were few things out of which 
these wily friars were unable to extract a generous tithe. 

THE DUTCH APPEAR UPON THE SCENE. 

The Chinese pirate had been taught a severe lesson, and had 
departed. The memory of his ravages, however, was still 
fresh in the minds of his conquerors when other buccaneers, 
far more formidable and dangerous, appeared in the waters of 
the Philippines, threatening the peace and safety of the colo- 
nists. 

Kindling with a desire for vengeance on their ancient foes 
the Spaniards, and flaming with greed for the richly-freighted 
Spanish argosies, the Dutch made repeated sallies from their 
secure retreat in the Moluccas, spreading terror in their wake. 
The galleons full of silver from Mexico, the ships laden with 
the comforts and luxuries of far-away Spain, fell a delightful 
prey into the hands of these remorseless freebooters, that never 
gave nor asked quarter. Many were the conflicts with these ruth- 
less invaders, and many a rich prize did they tow away from the 
Philippine waters, while the angry Spaniards on shore stood trans- 
fixed, — in helpless misery. 

Millions of dollars intended for the salaries of the Govern- 



42 The Philippine Ishmds. 

ment oflicials and the troops, were thus stolen, and though the 
colonists were often victorious, 3'et the eneni}', with character- 
istic Dutch audacity, refused to be defeated ; in fact, he invari- 
ably reappeared with a new demonstration of bloody rapacity. 

Upon one occasion a Dutch squadron anchored at the en- 
trance of Manila Ba}'. It remained several months, seizing 
from time to time the merchantmen on their way to the Manila 
market. It thus secured an immense booty; its presence, too, 
becoming extremeh' prejudicial to trade and to the interests of 
the colony. 

Juan de Silva, the Governor, therefore began to prepare an 
armament to drive these freebooters from the ba)'. One night 
he dreamt that St. Mark had offered to help him. Awaking, 
he consulted a priest about his dream, who intei-preted it to be 
an omen of victory. On St. Mark's day, accordingly, the 
Spaniards sallied forth to meet their hereditary foe ; the}^ sailed 
from Cavit6 with ten ships, carrying twenty guns. Over 1,000 
Europeans and a large number of natives manned this fleet, the 
latter being religiously told that the Dutch were infidels, and, 
therefore, deserved extermination. 

Once more the possession of the colony was to be decided. 
This time the conflict was to be between two rival nations from 
the same continent, — between Protestant and Catholic. The 
clergy, hence, were keenly alive to its importance : mass was 
said in all the churches, bells were tolled, and images of the 
Patron Saints of the colon}'' were daily paraded through the 
streets. 

The Governor himself took command, and incited his fol- 
lowers to martial order by proclaiming St. Mark's promised 
intercession. From his ship he unfurled the royal standard, — 
on which the image of the Virgin was conspicuously embroid- 
ered, — to give encouragement to the eyes of the faithful. He 
then gave the signal for the advance, and they swiftly bore 
down upon the enemy. The Dutch were quietly awaiting the 
attack, and the conflict was fierce and sanguinar}'. It was a 
calm, beautiful day ; but the calmness soon gave place to the 



Earlv History of the Islands. 



43 



thundt-ring turbulence of battle, and the beauty soon became 
the ugliness of war. 

The contest lasted about six hours, and the Dutch, unable 
longer to cope against odds so overwhelming, were finally van- 
quished ; their three ships were destroyed, and their flags, artil- 
ler3', and plundered merchandise to the value of §300,000 
were seized. 




SAX AUGUSTINE CHURCH, IN' OLD MAXILA. 



This important struggle is known in the history of the islands 
as the battle of Playa Honda. Had it ended otherwise, it is 
probable that the Philippines would have been for the Dutch 
another Java, and a most interesting problem would not have 
sought solution at the hands of the American people. 

Several other engagements with the Dutch occurred at dif- 



44 The Philippine Islands. 

ferent times ; first one, then the other side being victorious. 
And thus for over a century the contest continued, until by 
the Peace of Westphalia, in 1648, Holland's independence was 
fully established, her impoverished and weakened foe being 
forced to a tardy recognition of what had been an obstinate 
fact for many years. 

THE JAPANESE, AND THE MARTYRED SAINTS. 

The struggling colony was menaced by yet another foe. 
Early commercial relations had been entered into with the 
Japanese, who had established one or two trading-settlements 
in different parts of Luzon. It was not long, therefore, before 
the news of the Spanish occupation of the Philippines reached 
the Emperor of Japan. Accordingly, in 1593, he sent an ulti- 
matum to the Governor-General, demanding his surrender, and 
that he acknowledge him as his liege lord. 

The Japanese Ambassador, Farranda Kiemon, was received 
with great honor, and treated with all the deference due to a 
royal envoy : the colonists were not yet strong enough to man- 
ifest a high degree of independence when threatened by so 
powerful a foe. So the Governor prudently resorted to diplo- 
macy. He replied, that, being but a vassal of the King of Spain, 
a most powerful and opulent sovereign, he was prevented from 
giving homage to any other monarch ; that his first duty, naturally, 
was to defend the colony against invasion ; that he should, how- 
ever, be happy to make a Treaty of Commerce with His Majesty, 
and would, accordingly, send several envoys to his capital to treat 
concerning the same. 

This done, it is related, the Spaniards were received in great 
state. The treaty was then adjusted to the satisfaction of both 
parties. 

Unfortunately, however, these envoys, returning homeward, 
were drowned, and shortly afterward two religious embassies 
were sent to Japan to renew the treaty and to convert the benighted 
inhabitants of that country to God and the true Church. After 



46 The Philippine Islands. 

thirty days, sailing they arrived at their destination. The friar Pedro 
Bautista, chief of the embassy, was now presented to the Emperor 
Taycosama, and the treaty was renewed. The most important 
feature of this agreement was the permission to build a chapel at 
Meaco, near Osaka. This was opened with ceremonial pomp in 

1594- 

Now the chief of the Jesuits — the sect were by roj'al favor 
allowed to follow their calling among the Portuguese traders 
in Nagasaki — bitterly opposed what he deemed the exclusive 
right of his order, conceded by Pope Gregory XIII., and con- 
firmed by Imperial decree. 

The Portuguese traders, foreseeing that the arrival of Bau- 
tista and his priests was but a prelude to Spanish domination, 
— when they, naturally, would be the sufferers, — forewarned the 
Governor of Nagasaki. 

The Emperor was alarmed ; for he now also became convinced 
that the Philippine Ambassadors were actuated to missionary zeal 
by ulterior motives ; and, fearing that the priests, by their doctrines, 
might pollute the fountain of his ancient religion, — thus paving 
the way for their domination and his own ultimate ruin, — he at once 
commanded that all attempts to convert the natives must cease. 
Bautista, in holy zeal, not heeding the Imperial injunction, was 
expelled, and retired to Luzon, leaving several of his embassy be- 
hind. Some of these also, obstinately persisting in violating the 
Imperial mandate, were arrested and imprisoned. 

Upon his arrival in Manila, Bautista fitted out another expedition, 
and soon again landed in Japan with a company of Franciscans. 

The indignant Emperor, convinced of the duplicity of the 
Spaniards, caused them to be seized and cast into prison. 
A few natives, who had forsaken the religion of their fore- 
fathers for the discord-breeding doctrines of the foreigners, 
were also apprehended. All— twenty-six in number — were then 
condemned to death. After their ears and noses had been cut 
off, they were exhibited in various towns, as a warning to the 
other foreigners and to the populace. Upon the breast of each 
hung a board, that announced the sentence of the wearer and the 



Earlv History of the Islands. 



47 



reasons for his punishment. They were then crucified, and, 
after hngering for several hours in great agony, were speared 
to death. 

The colony was much perturbed when the news of the sad fate 
of the zealous Franciscans reached Manila. Special masses were 
said, and processions of monks daily paraded through the streets. 




THE ABANDONED ACQUEDUCT. 

The Governor was finally prevailed on to send a deputation to 
Japan for the bodies of the executed priests ; for the relics of 
these martyrs were fraught with too many possibilities of profit 
to their co-religionists to be left in a foreign country in ignomin- 
ious sepulture. It is related, also, that these envoys were 
entertained most royally, and the Emperor gave them a long 
letter to the Governor, justifying with many reasons the late 
execution and his vigorous policy. It seems, however, that the 



48 The Philippine Islands. 

relics were lost on the homeward voyage. Notwithstanding, 
many priests soon ventured to Japan, to court a martyr's doom 
and to furnish relics for the adoration of their superstitious country- 
men. Hence, it is not surprising that a great many other similar 
executions afterward took place. 

Incensed at these frequent and persistent violations of his well- 
founded prohibition, the Emperor finally refused to treat with the 
embassies sent from the colony ; and, as he and his successors 
continued to enforce their stern decrees, the transportation of 
Spanish priests to Japan was finally prohibited. Had the Japanese 
been less severe, less astute, it is highly probable that all the 
evil consequences that they foresaw, — as a result of the Christian 
propaganda, — would really have taken place. As it was, they saved 
both their religion and their Empire. 





The British Occupation. 



GENERAL DRAPERS EXPEDITION. 



THE affairs of the colony — now directed by custom and pre- 
cedence into the narrow channel of ofBcial routine — flowed 
placidly along in undisturbed monotony. But in 1762 an- 
other enemy appeared before the walls of Manila ; an enemy more 
powerful than any that had heretofore threatened the peace of 
that tropical capital. War had been declared by Spain against 
England, and the enterprising inhabitants of that little isle 
W'cre not slow in following their traditional policy of striking 
the first blow. Rodney and Monckton were sent to Havana. 
This they took without great difficulty, and soon a British 
squadron, composed of thirteen ships, under the command of 
Admiral Cornish, was despatched to Manila. 

It was the evening, of the 22nd of September when the 
English fleet arrived in the bay, and the following morning 
Admiral Cornish sent an officer to the Governor, demanding 
the surrender of the citadel. At this peremptory proceeding 
the haughty Spaniard was highly incensed, and his refusal was 
couched in terms no less indignant than defiant. 

Words having signally failed to bring the Spanish to terms, 
a demonstration of force was decided upon, and Brigadier- 
General Draper was sent on shore with a large body of troops. 
The garrison, however, treated this display with counter de- 

49 



50 



The Philippine Islands. 



monstrations, and Draper's threats with lofty disdain. Draper 
therefore resolved to parle}^ no longer, and the bombardment 
began the next day. 

The British forces consisted of 1600 European troops, nearly 
3000 seamen, and about 800 Sepoys^about 5000 fighting men. 




TOWER OF DEFENSE, CHURCH, AND PRIEST'S HOUSE. 

The forces in Manila, on the other hand, were only 603 Span- 
iards and 77 small guns. In the meantime, the ardor of the 
British had been inflamed by the capture of a Spanish galleon 
containing $2,500,000 in specie. 

The Archbishop, Manuel Antonio Rojo, who acted also as 
Governor, — the seat of that functionary being vacant at the 
time, — seeing the hopelessness of the conflict, and desiring to 
avert unavailing bloodshed, counseled surrender. But the 
soldiers in the garrison, under their fiery leader Simon de Anda, 
were utterly intractable, and prepared vigorously for the de- 
fense. After a few unsuccessful sorties, the Spanish batteries, 
on the 24th September, began a rapid but harmless can- 
nonade. Again a company sallied forth from the garrison to 
attack the invaders, but this also was repulsed, with consid- 
erable loss to the Spanish. The English now renewed the 



The British Occupation. 51 

bonibardincnt, and terrihc havoc was made among the ranlcs of 
the enemy. Some two thousand natives, in three columns, 
advanced tow'ard the three improvised redoubts held by the 
British, and were driven back with great loss and confusion. 
Panic-stricken, the natives fled back to their villages, and on the 
5th of October the besieging forces entered the walled city. 
The bombardment, meanwhile, continued. Nor did it cease 
until the forts were demolished and most of the Spanish artil- 
lerymen killed. It is estimated that 20,000 cannon-balls and 
5000 shells were thrown into the city. 

The military men among the Spanish now counseled sur- 
render. The civilians, contrariwise, were eager to continue 
the defense. But as most of the fortifications were destroyed, 
and since " confusion worse confounded " already reigned in 
the cit}', many fled to the surrounding villages. 

The opposing civilians having barricaded and otherwise ' 
obstructed the streets, the British advanced into the heart of 
the city, clearing the way before them with a raking fire of 
musketry. 

General Draper now sent Colonel Monson to the Archbishop, 
demanding instant and absolute surrender. The Archbishop 
appeared and offered himself as a prisoner, also presenting terms 
of capitulation. These provided for the free exercise of religion, 
the security of private property, unrestricted commerce between 
the Spaniards and the natives, and the English support of the 
Supreme Court in its attempts to preserve order. 

THE BRITISH DEM.A.ND AN INDEMNITY. 

General Draper readily granted these terms, but demanded an 
indemnity of $4,000,000. To this the Spanish agreed, and these 
terms were then signed by both parties to the compact. 

When the Union Jack was first unfurled from Fort Santiago, it 
is said that the British burst forth into a chorus of ringing cheers. 

But their joy was not unmixed with sensations of sorrow ; for, 
it is reported, over 1500 men, and many gallant oflrcers, were lost in 



52 



The Philippine Islands. 



the assault. The city was then given over to the mercy of the 
victorious troops, and a riotous scene of pillage ensued ; many 
excesses were committed, the Sepoys, in particular, committing 
many atrocities. General Draper forthwith gave the command 
that these outrages should cease ; and guards were at once 
placed at the doors of the convents and the nunneries to prevent 
outrages on the women. A few thieving Chinamen, who had 
taken advantage of the confusion to add to their own profit, were 




A NATIVE VILLAGE I\ THE FOOT-HII 



I.D .\LVXll,A, 



hanged ; and the General, it is said, with his own hand cut down 
a soldier that he caught stealing after his inhibition had been 
proclaimed. 

The English now demanded the payment of the stipulated 
indemnity, but the enforced contributions from the wealthy 
inhabitants, with the silver from the churches — all that the Spaniards 
professed to be able to collect — amounted to only a little more than 
half a million dollars, — but one-eighth of the stipulated sum. 



The British Occupation. 53 

Threat and force were ahke unavaihng to produce the other 
monies promised, although the friars, it is beheved, had secreted 
immense sums, determined at all hazards to preserve their 
accumulated store from the rapacity of their Protestant enemy. 

By the terms of the capitulation the entire Archipelago had 
been surrendered to the British ; but Simon de Anda, who com- 
manded the Spanish forces during the siege, had now established 
himself in Bulacan as Provisional Governor, in opposition to the 
authority of the Archbishop who had bitterly denounced the 
surrender. The clergy, however, were the more influential part 
of the Colonial Government, and General Draper accordingly 
treated with them alone, obtaining their consent to a cession of 
all the islands to the King of England. Draper himself then 
returned to England, leaving behind a Provisional Military 
Government. 

Admiral Cornish now demanded the payment of the million 
dollars that the British had finally decided to accept as full 
indemnity. 

The Spaniard, however, continued to plead poverty, and the 
money was not forthcoming. Several thousands of dollars were 
eventually unearthed in the convent where the friars had hid- 
den it. The British, though convinced of the deception that 
these holy brethren had practised to save these dollars, — wrung 
from the hearts of the poor, — were, however, unable to lay their 
hands upon the treasure. 

Simon de Anda, the self-constituted Governor, now became 
unusually active in the provinces, and several expeditions were sent 
out to quell the various insurrections that he had been stirring 
up. One of these, numbering 600 men, under the leadership 
of Captain Eslay, in the province of Bulacan, assaulted and took a 
fortified convent. They were also victorious in some engagements 
with a body of natives, several thousand strong, under the com- 
mand of Lieutenant Bustos, a Spanish ofBcer. As several Austin 
friars had been found among the slain, the British rightly believed 
that their order had been conspiring against them. Many, there- 
fore, were arrested. Eleven were sent back to Europe. 



54 



The Philippine Islands. 



Naturally suspicious of all the friars, the English now entered the 
Augustine convent and found that these priests had been no less 
deceitful than their brethren in the other orders. Six thousand, 
five hundred dollars in coin were found hidden in the garden, 
and large quantities of wrought silver elsewhere. The convent 
itself was then searched and all the valuables found therein taken. 

About this time the Spaniards professed to have discovered a 
conspiracy among the Chinese in the province of Pampanga, the 
object being, they said, to murder Anda and his Spanish followers. 




A BAMBOO HOUSE IN PAMPAXGA PROVIN'CE. 



The Chinese had raised extensive fortifications, saying that these 
preparations were all made as a defense against an expected attack 
from the British. 

The Spaniards, however, suspecting sympathy with their ene- 
mies, attacked the Celestials and a general massacre of the Chinese 
followed. Many thousands, too, were killed that had taken no 
part in the war. 

Admiral Cornish, disgusted and infuriated with their obvious 



The British Occupation. 55 

deception and palpable dilly-dall3'ing, again demanded the payment 
of the indemnity. But he was forced to content himself with a 
bill on the Madrid Treasury. 

Anda now appointed Bustos Alcalde of Bulacan : he hoped 
great things of his seditious and unscrupulous lieutenant ; he 
knew that he would resort to every means to harass the enemy : 
he therefore, accordingly, ordered him to recruit and train 
troops. 

For Anda still cherished the hope of confining the British, 
perhaps, even, of driving them from the colony. So, with prac- 
ticed subtlety and with masked deviltry, he set about accomplish- 
ing his grim purpose. 

INTRIGUES AGAINST THE BRITISH. 

The British were now kept busy suppressing the numerous 
intrigues against their power that sprang up among the Spanish 
residents everywhere. Many sorties also were made to dis- 
lodge the persistent and irrepressible Anda and his lieutenant 
Bustos, now encamped at Malinta, a village a few miles from 
Manila. Most of those assaults, however, proved indecisive and in- 
effectual. The .priests proved troublesome, and were the cause of 
much bloodshed, teaching the natives that the British were infidels. 

The Augustine friars were especially hostile, many laying 
aside the cowl for the helmet. At Masilo, indeed, the British 
were defeated by an Austin friar, who, with a small band of 
natives, attacked them from ambush. 

The Austin friars, however, had some cause for grievance. For, 
according to a recent historian, they had lost nearly a quarter of a 
million dollars, fifteen of their convents were destroyed, several 
valuable estates despoiled, ten of the members killed in the battle, 
and nineteen were taken prisoners and sent as e.xiles to India and 
Europe. 

On the 23d of July, 1763, an English vessel brought news 
of an armistice between the conflicting Powders. And in the 
latter part of August the British Commander received notice 



56 



The Philippine Islands. 



of the articles of peace, by which Manila was to be evacuated 
(Peace of Paris, loth of Feb., 1763). 

It was several months, however, before peace was finally estab- 
lished in the island, fierce quarrels having arisen among the rival fac- 
tions of the Spaniards as to who should be Governor and receive the 
city officially from the British. The Archbishop having died, Anda, 
who was in actual command of the troops, was fully recognized by 
the British as Governor. Don Francisco de La Torre arriving at 
this time from Spain with a commission as Governor-General, 
Anda resigned the Government to him on the 17th of March, 
1764. Several serious quarrels now took place, due to jealousy 
among the English officers ; but Anda, on behalf of the new Gov- 
ernor, formally received the city from the British, who embarked 
for India, after having met all claims that could be justly estab- 
lished against them. 





The Spanish Colonial Government. 

THE ENCOMIENDOROS AND THE ALCALDES. 

IN the early days of the colony there were, besides the Gov- 
ernor-General, the sub-governors, known as Encomiendoros, 
who rented their provinces at so much per annum, called 
Encomiendas, from the General Government. These Encomien- 
doros were usually men of wealth, that entered into politics as a 
speculation. More properly, I should say, as a peculation ; for it 
became their policy to fleece the natives and to extort as much 
money as possible during the term of their incumbency. Few, 
indeed, left the scene of their civil brigandage without full 
coffers ; and as enormous fortunes were to be made during a few 
years sojourn in the islands, no wonder that this office was 
eagerly sought after in Spain. 

This imitation of the methods of the Roman tax-payers, 
liowever, became so demoralizing to the morale of the Span- 
iards themselves, and so ruinous to the colony and to the 
natives, that a more equitable policy was introduced. The 
Encomiendoros were succeeded by Judicial Governors, called 
Alcaldes, to whom was paid a small salary, from $300 upward 
a year, according to the prominence of the province. 

This office, however, proved almost equally remunerative to 
the holders ; for, bv means of a Government license to trade, 
57 



58 The Philippine Islands. 

they were able to ^preate, to their own advantage, monopo- 
lies in every line of 'industry, thus freezing out all com- 
petitors. Through each was responsible to the Central Govern- 
ment for' the taxes of his provinces, yet this did not prevent 
the shrewd and unprincipled from finding profit Irere also. 
For, by a system Of false weights and measures, the native, who, 
in lieu of silver, brought" his produce in payment for taxes, was 
shamefully defrauded, the Alcalde sending the indebted 
amount to the Government storehouse and selling the rest to 
his own profit. In addition, many of these Alcaldes, by arbi- 
trary decrees and despotic methods, conducted a system of 
public robbery that in a few j^ears enriched them at the expense 
of the long-suffering natives ; for them there was no redress, 
inasmuch as each Alcalde was also the head of the Legal 
Tribunal in his own province. These abuses, however, be- 
came so flagrant that the Alcaldes were finally forbidden to 
trade ; but as this measure was not as effectual as had been expected, 
sweeping reforms were instituted. 

To recount what these were ; to mention in detail what malignant 
opposition was manifested by a large body of natives and resident 
Spaniards toward the purposed overthrow of the old. system, would 
be only to reiterate well-known characteristics and abnormalities 
of the Spanish nature ; placed, too, in but a slightly dift'erent setting. 

I will merely add that these Alcaldes, these perpetrators and bene- 
ficiaries of wholesale misrule and dishonor, yielded finally to the 
reform-wave, and, accordingl}^, fell away before their own judicial 
perversion. And the new system, it must be confessed, is a great 
improvement upon the old. 

But the evil wrought upon the Filipino mind and character was 
deep-planted. For, by the despotic and summary disposing of 
his labor and chattels, in the name of the King, — abetted frequently, 
too, by seemingly supernatural means, — respect for the Spaniard and 
the white man in general had fled, fear and distrust supplanting it. 

In the new order of things, — instituted by a decree from the 
Queen-Regent Maria Cristina, the 26th of February, 1886, — 18 
Civil Governorships were created, and the Alcaldes' functions were 



6o The Philippine Islands. 

confined to their Judgeships. And thus the former frightful dis- 
tortion of justice was overcome and banished. 

So, too, under this law of 1886 each Civil Governor has a Secretary, 
who serves as a check upon his chief, if he be illegally inclined. 

Accordingly, two new official safeguards were thus erected in the 
fabric of Colonial Administration in these 18 different provinces. 

THE PRESENT DIVISION AND ADMINISTRATION. 

The colony was then divided into 19 civil provinces, including 
Sulu, and into 3 grand military divisions. 

As before, at the head was the Governor-General, — the supervis- 
ing and executive officer of the province. — directly responsible to 
Spain. His salary is $40,000 a year. He is assisted by an Executive 
Cabinet and by an Administrative Council. The Provincial Gov- 
ernor, the successor to the Alcalde, must be a Spaniard, and at least 
30 years old. He is the direct representative of the Governor- 
General and it is his duty to execute his decrees and to maintain 
order. He also has the power of appointment and removal, presides 
over provincial elections, controls the civil and local guard, inter- 
prets the laws, — usually to suit his own profit or convenience, — su- 
pervises the balloting for military conscription, can assess fines to the 
amount of $50, or imprison for 30 days, is Superintendent of Public 
Instruction, issues licenses and collects taxes. It is his duty also 
to furnish statistics and to control the Postal and Telegraph service. 
He is the Superintendent of health, prisons, charities, agriculture, 
forestry, and of manufactures. It will thus be seen that his duties 
are as diverse as they are important. He is now allowed no per- 
centage, nor other emolument than his salary. At the same time, a 
shrewd Governor is yet able to reap a golden harvest. This, how- 
ever, can be done only in conjunction with other Government officers. 

Owing to the extreme shortness of his term of office — three 
years only — there is no incentive for the improvement of his 
province, as his successors would reap the results as well as 
the credit of his industry. Besides, he has no reason to hope 
that a good work begun will be a good work continued ; for 



The Spanish Colonial Government. 



6i 



the next Governor maj' be averse to exertion, or maj' be at 
variance with his policy. 

Most of the Governors live in good st3ie ; as a rule they 
spend about two hours a day in Government employ. Is it to 
be wondered at, then, that this 
office is so eagerly sought 
after in Spain ? 

There are about 750 towns 
in the colony ; each governed 
by a Gobernadorcillo, " Little 
Governor," called Capitan ; 
usually a native or half-caste. 
This office is elected every 
two 3'ears, and is to the Pro- 
vincial Governor what the lat- 
ter is to the Governor-General. 
He is the tax-collector of his 
district, and is, furthermore, 
responsible for the amount 
apportioned to his district. If 
he fails to collect this, he 
must make the deficit good 
out of his own pocket. Un- 
der him are a number of 
deputies, called Cabezas, each likewise responsible for another 
division of the population called a Barangay,— a collection of forty 
or fifty families. If the individuals of this group are unable 
to pay, the property is distrained and sold by the deputy, who 
would otherwise have to make good the amount himself. If the 
proceeds of the sale fail to equal the indebtedness of the de- 
linquent, he is cast into prison. 

I have often seen respectable men deported to the penal set- 
tlements ; and for no other offense than inability to pay the op- 
pressive tax laid upon their shoulders, regardless of the season, 
—whether productive or not. Their families, meanwhile, left 
without a head, were thrown into the most woeful destitution. 




CHILDREN' OF A GOBERNADORCILLO. 



62 The Philippine Islands. 

The Gobernadorcillo gets the munificent salary of $200 a 
year, though his expenses, for clerk-hire, for presents to his 
chief, and for entertainments in his honor, are often many 
times greater. A shrewd Gobernadorcillo, however, manages 
to make something out of the place, which, in some districts, 
is eagerly sought after by rich planters. The official dress of 
this worthy is a short black jacket, the tail worn over the 
trousers. He also carries a stick as a sign of authority. To 
him is entrusted the apprehension of criminals, and he has 
command of the local guards, or cuadrilleros, the police of the 
towns. 

THE TAXES AND WHAT BECAME OF THEM. 

It can easily be guessed that the taxes are not inconsider- 
able, when I simply mention a few things that are assessed : 
There is a tax on the ownership and sale of live-stock and 
vehicles, on realty, and on all private industries and manufac- 
tures. Opium, liquors, stamps, tobacco, and lotteries yield an 
immense revenue. Then there is a Community-fund, which 
is usually several hundred thousand dollars a year in each 
province, and is supposed to be spent in the interest of the 
community. The Chinese Capitation tax also brings in a large 
amount. But the most common and onerous tax of all is that 
arising from the Government sale of Cedulas, or documents of 
identity, which is a poll-tax from $25 down. The individual 
paying less than $3.50 is subject to 15 days' hard labor each 
year and to a fine of 50 cents for each day that he shall fail to 
work. Those whose cedulas have cost more than $3.50 must 
also pay a municipal tax of $1.50. The cedula is also used as 
a passport, and must be brought into court to render legal in- 
struments effective. 

From this brief and imperfect survey of the system of pro- 
vincial taxation, it can easily be gathered that the revenues are 
considerable ; and yet, of the hundreds of thousands of dollars 
extorted from the natives in each province, under the plausible 



64 The Philippine Islands. 

pretexts of an avaricious policy, it is safe to say that not a 
dollar is expended for any local improvements. No building of 
bridges, no constructing of highways, no public schools, nor 
halls of justice must mar the stagnant serenity of provincial 
life. Nothing is ever repaired; a system of "let alone" blights 
every aspiration, and is fatal to the extension of commerce and 
industry. Consequently, in the wet season, for vehicles, the 
public roads are impassable, and, in many parts of the country, 
for months transportation is practically at a stand-still. As if 
effectually to close every door to progress, private individuals, too, 
are forbidden by law to repair the highways. 

Did any government ever foster a more imbecile and ini- 
quitous policy for its own damnation ? 

Although the speculations in the colony are not so enor- 
mous as formerly, yet there is no doubt that they still amount 
to several millions annually ; mostly, however, at the seat of 
Government in Manila. It is indeed notorious that General 
Weyler, during his brief incumbency of the office, succeeded 
in placing several millions of dollars to his credit— I should 
have said to his dishonor ! 

DILATORY AND ABORTIVE COURTS. 

Perhaps no feature of Colonial life is fraught with more evil 
and is so disgusting, as the process of the courts. The Supreme 
Court of the early years of the colony was modeled after the 
one in Majorca, and on several occasions when the Governor- 
ship has been left vacant, it has assumed the functions of the 
executive — pro-tem. 

There are two Supreme Law Courts in the colony : one in 
Manila ; the other in Cebu. The President of the one in Manila 
has a salary of $7,000 a year ; that of Cebfi, $6,000. There are 
also 41 Superior Courts, of various degrees of importance, the 
salary of the judges ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 per annum. 
The department of Justice alone costs the colony about $350,000 a 
year. 



The Spanish Colonial Government. 



65 



The dilatoriness of the courts has become proverbial. It is, 
in fact, years before a case can be brought to a close. Mean- 
time, the litigant has been fleeced out of an amount perhaps a 
hundred times the value of the article under litigation. The 
islands are full of native pettifoggers from the law schools of 
Manila, who have learned too well the meaning of the Spanish 
iiianaua. A suit can never be considered as disposed of ; for 
another judge, scenting the faint possibility of a fee, may again 
have it retried. Thus I have seen the lives of acquitted persons 
again brought into jeopardy by the meddlesome ofhciousness 




A BUSINESS STREET IN OLD MANILA, 



and the grasping greed of a new judge. He that goes to court 
in the Philippines must not do so without reckoning the cost. 

Commenting on this, a recent English traveler says : " Avail- 
ing one self of the dilatoriness of the Spanish law, it is possible 
for a man to occupy a house, pay no rent, and refuse to quit on 
legal grounds during a couple of years or more. A person who 



66 The Philippine Islands. 

has not a cent to lose can persecute another b}^ means of a 
trumped up accusation, until he is ruined by an " informacion de 
pobreza " — a declaration of poverty — which enables the perse- 
cutor to keep the case going as long as he chooses, without need- 
ing money for fees. 

A NEW YORKER'S EXPERIENCE. 

The following experience of an American friend of mine, 
whom I knew very well in Manila, will bring out in a graphic 
way the course of justice in the Philippines. Nor is his experience 
uncommon. It is, in fact, the usual one of the stranger or the 
native who goes to the fountain of Justice for the redress of a 
grievance. 

I quote part of his letter written to a common friend : 

In iSyi I joined Mr. William Morton Clark of Philadelphia, 
who had a large timber business on the island of Lnzon, and 
started catling some timber contracted for by the Chinese gov- 
ernment. 

I soon discovered that I was interfering with the business of a 
certain priest, ivlio zvas also in the same line of bnsiness. 

Shortly before this, this priest and an inspector of roads had 
loaded the Spanish bark Santa Lncia for Hong-Kong, and liad 
made things so disagreeable for others xvho had tried to ship mer- 
chandise that foreigners laere becoming afraid to risk their capital. 

Mr. Clark finding hoiv things were going on soon abandoned 
the enterprise, and I then determined to fight the thing ont on my 
oivn acconnt. 

At this time I had 23,000 cubic feet of hard timber, cut and 
squared, for a foreign market, eighty-tioo buffaloes for hauling, 
and a plant of machinery and appliances valued at %'/',ooo. 

I had a license for carrying on my business, duty granted by 
the superior government, and in 1874 chartered a vessel at Ma- 
nila to carry my timber to Hong-Kong, and then went to the 
port of Love, ivhere my timber ivas, taking with me $940 in gold 
to prepare for the vessel's arrival and to continue cutting. 



The Spanish Colonial Government. 67 

Upon arriving at Love I foiiiui iJiat during my absence at 
Manila a portion of my timber had been forcibly talwn possession 
of and had been shipped on board the Spanish bark Teresa by 
Joaquin Barcello, the captain of the Teresa, icho rcas tlien on his 
way to Hong-Kong. I also learned that my buffaloes, stocJ; and 
rice had been removed, ami that Juan Gaal, my foreman, zvhoni 
I had left in charge of my property, ivas all subject to the orders 
of this Barcello, and that my choppers had been bribed into the 
Service of Padre Fidel J\Ioreno, the priest of the toicn. 

When I complained of this I was confronted with a document 
signed by the Adelantado of Love, to tlie effect that no notice 
should be taken of my complaints, to give no testimony in my 
behalf (thereby shutting me out of my legal rights), and that my 
foreman, Juan Gaal, should look after the interests of Captain 
Barcello until the captain's return from China. 

I then applied to the Governor, protesting against the robbery 
of my timber and the appropriation of my property by Captain 
Barcello and Juan Gaal, but ivas merely told that the com- 
mandante had so ordered ami that there would be no interfer- 
ence. 

Seeing there ichis no Justice to be had at home, I sought to regain 
tuy rights at Manda and so left the next morning for Manila on 
the bark Industria, taking with me all my private papers, con- 
tracts, &c. 

That night ive encountered a terrible typhoon in which tlie 
vessel ivas wrecked, a ml all that I ivas able to save was the clothes 
I then wore. 

Upon my arrival at Manila I put in a complaint against Cap- 
tain Barcello, ami also against Padre JJoreno and the commaii- 
dante of the district, as accomplices in the above fraud ami 
robbery. 

The case dragged along, as is customary in Spanish countries, 
and about a year later my funds were all exhausted. At this 
time a Spanish friend at Manila, acquainted with my mis- 
fortunes, took me to his home and lent me some money, shortly 
afterwards sailing for Europe. 



68 



The Philippine Islands. 



With this money I returned to Love, expecting to find at least 
a portion of my timber left ivliich I intended to ship. Upon ar- 
riving at Love I found that Captain Barcello had been there 
before me and had seized and shipped everything but a few 
worm-eaten logs. Barcello had even hauled the timber I had 
cut in the mountains, and aided by his accomplices had cleaned 
me out entirely during my absence. 




IN THE LUMBER DISTRICT. 



/ saw it was no use to complain further, and so I set to work 
to cut some more timber, and after much trouble and expense got 
two cargoes ready and left for Manila, intending to go from there 
to Hong-Kong to sell what I had last cut. 

Learning that Barcello was in Manila and was about to leave 



The Spanish Colonial Government. 69 

for Hoiig-Koiig, I applied to flic' Alcalde, Senor Torraiico, 7vlio liad 
my suit in charge, to stop Barcello from leaving the country, as 
my case against him had not yet been decided. 

This didn't benefit me lunch, as the Alcalde xvonldn't grant my 
request, and although a case of robbery and fraud was pending 
against him, Barcello tvas allowed to leave ivithout hindrance. 

I then applied for my passport, but to my surprise this was 
refused me, on the ground that my suit should first be decided. 

I then returned to Love, having authorized Charles Germain 
to charter for me, and in due time I had despatched three cargoes 
to Hong-Kong, but finding that my presence in Hong-Kong would 
be absolutely necessary for the success of my business I applied a 
second time for my passport, and was again refused. 

Thinking that if I ofi'ered security I would be alloived to leave 
the toivn, I named a friend who ivas willing to go on my bond, 
but the Alcalde shut me off from this chance by sending his clerk 
to my friend's house, and succeeded in so frightening him that my 
friend ivithdreiv his name as my bondsman. 

I knoiv that this act teas done deliberately, as at this time, 
and during the ichole of my suit, the Alcalde was on the most in- 
timate terms with Captain Barcello. 

My next step ivas to protest against SeTior Torranco trying or 
hearing my case, as I shoived conclusively that he ivas hand and 
glove zvitli Barcello. This had the desired effect, and the case ivas 
transferred to another Alcalde. Torranco had, hoivever, served 
Ms friend well : he had stopped, my passport at a vital point in 
my business on a frivolous pretext. 

I was a foreigner, and that ivas enough, and not being able to 
obtain permission to leave the country, all my efforts being 
frustrated by those in power, although I was the aggrieved and 
injured party, I was held a captive in Manila, my business, mean- 
time, going to ruin abroad. 

This state of affairs continued for months, with no signs of any 
beneficial change in my circumstances, and so I finally brought 
the matter officially before the American Consul, who wrote to 
the Captain-General, stating my case in full, and advised me to 



70 



The Philippine Islands. 



abandon my suit, ivlilch I did, the Consul officially notifying the 
Captain-General of the fact. 

From that day to this I have been sustained by my friends. 
My means were exhausted, and I ivas compelled to leave the hotel 
a beggar on the streets, with my resources all gone and heavy 
debts pressing upon me. 

Mr. Collins was never able to get justice, though he tried 
frequently. His experience is no uncommon one. The estab- 
lishment of a pure judiciary and the purification of the courts, 
should be one of the first reforms undertaken by the Americans. 





The Church in the Colony. 



PRIESTHOOD AND THE PEOPLE. 



THE hierarchy of the colony consists of an Archbishop, resi- 
dent in Manila, and four bishops. The Archbishop lives in a 
Palace, and has a salary of $12,000 a year, while the annual 
expenses of the Cathedral in Manila are not less than 860,000. It 
was not till several years after the founding of Manila, in 1578, that 
the first bishop was consecrated and a Cathedral was built. Not 
long afterward, the Manila See was raised to an Archbishopric. 

The present hierarchy costs the Government about $800,000 a 
year. The salaries of the priests range from $500 to $2500 per 
annum ; but, in addition, they derive a large income from the sale 
of masses, indulgences, marriage, burial and baptismal -fees, and 
from . the various commissions incident to their calling. They 
receive all, and give nothing. 

The several orders have immense revenues from investments in 
ihe islands and in Hong-Kong. They possess magnificent estates ; 
but, notwithstanding their enormous wealth, they are hard task- 
masters, grinding the poor to the paying of the last penny. Their 
injustice and tyranny have of late aroused bitter complaint, and are 
a chief cause of the late insurrection. 

And yet the picture has its lights as well as its shadows. The 
friars have, also, in many places, the confidence of the natives, 

71 



The Church in tlie Colony. 73 

and, on the whole, surely influence them for the repression of 
their vicious and brutal instincts. A half-barbarous people can be 
led onh' by superstition, and a semi-sacerdotal government is most 
effective among an ignorant people. 

The friar is usually from a lowly family, and is, therefore, able 
at once to enter into sympathy with the humble life of the people. 
He is doctor, architect, engineer, and adviser ; in all things truly 
Ihe father of the community, the representative of the white race 
and of social order. Such is the ideal village -curate, and many 
such — good men and true — are to be found. There, are, however, 
many black sheep among them. And the gross immorality of those 
that should be examples in virtue, has been a great impediment 
to the work of the Church among the thinking natives. There 
are, also, some Chinese and native friars ; but, owing to the 
various insurrections, in which some of these were involved, they 
are no longer trusted ; in fact, a native can no longer become a 
priest. 

So great is the paternal influence of the priests, that I have 
often seen delinquent parishioners flogged for non-attendance at 
mass. 

The Chinese often adopt Christianit}' for social or business 
reasons, or that they may marry the daughter of a native. 

All over the islands are shrines to which the people make long 
pilgrimages ; such pilgrimages, however, partaking more of the 
character of feasts than of fasts. The self-denial and the self- 
imposed hardships of the European devotee have never found 
fruitful soil in the native character. He is never so glad as 
when a holy-day furnishes him with a pretext for an elaborate 
feast, and, in truth, the feast-daj's alone relieve the gloom of his 
monotonous life. Two of the most famous shrines are the Holy 
Child of Cebu and the Virgin of Antipolo, — thousands visiting them 
yearly. 

CONFLICTS BETW^EEN CHURCH AND STATE. 

A book might be written, and an interesting one, too, about 



The Church in the Colony. 75 

the various contests between Church and State during this 
period of the colony's history. 

The Archbishops — with an exaggerated idea of their own 
importance — soon became exceedingly troublesome to the Civil 
Power, by reason of their excessive claims. This was never 
more manifest than in their pretended immunity from all State- 
control. Upon one occasion the Governor demanded of the 
Archbishop to produce several persons charged with capital 
and other crimes, who had found asylum in a convent. The 
Archbishop promptly refused, claiming the prerogative of 
Sanctuar}'. The accused not only openly defied the Governor, 
but armed themselves, intending to resist, should he endeavor 
to apprehend them.. The Governor, learning this, arrested the 
Archbishop, and confined him and the priests that had been 
his abettors in prison, charging them with conspiracy against 
the Government. 

The news spread over the province with incredible swift- 
ness, and hundreds of priests, collecting hordes of natives on 
the way, marched with riotous demonstrations and violent 
clamor to the Palace. Franciscans, Dominicans, and August- 
inians forgot their fierce rivalry and joined together in the 
shout, " Long live the church ! " " Long live King Philip V ! " 

The mob burst open the doors of the Palace, and, the terror- 
stricken guards having fled, they forced their way to the 
Governor, who calmly awaited them, standing with a loaded 
musket in his hand. He then ordered the rabble to retreat, 
but with wild shrieks, incited by the priests that accompanied 
them, they rushed on him. The Governor pulled the trigger, 
but his fiint failing to strike fire he defended himself with his 
bayonet. He was finally surrounded ; and insulted, beaten, and 
stabbed, he was dragged to jail. 

The son of the Governor, running to his father's aid, was severely 
wounded by the rebels. Attempting, nevertheless, to cut his 
way through, he was killed, and his body horribly mutilated. 

The mob then broke open the door of the fortress where the 
Archbishop was confined, and liberated him. This worthy was 



76 The Philippine Islands. 

then escorted with much acclamation to the Palace, and assumed 
charge of the Government, which he held for four years. 

This is only one of many exciting conflicts between these two 
factions, sometimes one, sometimes the other, being victorious. 
On four different, occasions the Governorship of the colony was 
vested in the Archbishop. 

Every Governor-General that has attempted to introduce a 
liberal policy has been recalled ; for the friars' combined influence 
is all-powerful. Not even the Archbishop has been able to prevail 
over the corporation of the friars ; and if he would retain his see, 
he must not oppose their traditional prerogatives, nor work for 
that reform that would mean the decline of the orders. Indeed, 
only a few years ago, one Archbishop, who had made several in- 
effectual attempts to correct the abuses in the orders, was one 
morning found dead in his bed. His successors have taken good 
care to profit by his example. 



CLASHINGS AMONG THE FRIARS. 

Interesting is the story of the bitter rivalries between the dif- 
ferent orders, who, though of one religion, were extremely jealous 
of one another, showing little of that charity and forbearance 
that Christianity, above all, is supposed to inculcate. 

On account of several clashes with the civil power, a priest 
had early been sent to Spain by the Church party to gain 
redress of grievances. Chief of these was their inability to 
guide the entire affairs of the colony into a narrow ecclesiastical 
groove. The result was, the introduction of new laws so favorable 
to the clergy, that, within three or four years, the colony 
swarmed with mendicant friars, whose habits, say the old chron- 
iclers, placed the Spaniards and their vaunted religion in a most 
ridiculous light before the natives. 

As most of these monks belonged to a different order from 
the bishop, who was an Augustinian, and as they often boldly 
defied his authority, he became greatly alarmed at their ex- 



The Church in the- Colony. 



n 



panding power. But, after a fierce struggle, he succeeded in so 
curtailing their privileges that he still retained his pre-eminence 
in the colony. 

Urdaneta and his Austin 
friars were the pioneers in the 
islands, and following them 
came a horde of Dominicans 
and Franciscans, and the Rec- 
oletos, or bare-foot monks. As 
the saving of souls was the chief 
policy of Philip II., the co- 
operation of the friars was 
eagerly welcomed by the early 
Colonial Government, and it 
must be admitted that without 
their influence the lot of the 
natives would have been a far 
harder one. For the substi- 
tution of the rites of paganism 
for those of Christianity, even 
in so crude a form as taught by 
the friars, was, in the main, bene- 
ficial. Religion— though not of 
a very exalted kind — was put 
on an ethical basis, and the self- 
denial, obedience, and sacrifice 
that formed the foundation of the new doctrine, somewhat re- 
conciled the conquered races to the loss of their primal freedom. 




A PARISH PRIEST. 



THE MONKS OPPOSED TO REFORM. 

These orders, presenting the united front of a corporation, were 
extremely powerful, and practically unassailable. When arrayed 
against an individual, it always resulted in his defeat, — that is, his 
expulsion or imprisonment. They practically had their way in all 
things and under all circumstances. Nothing could withstand 



78 The Philippine Islands. 

them ; for, to attack one friar was to attack his whole order. Thus, 
much injustice was occasioned. I have known a highly respectable 
man, possessed of great wealth, cheated out of house and home — 
yes, his very liberty — through the intrigues of a friar that desired to 
enrich his order. Such societies are a cancer in the body politic, 
— a constant enemy to good government, a menace to justice, and 
a foe to liberty. 

In the future history of the islands, this will be found one of the 
hardest problems to solve. The easiest and most effective plan, it 
seems to me, is to cut the Gordian knot — that is, to expel the whole 
body of friars from the islands. By so doing, much shedding of 
blood will be saved. For I do not believe that these good brethren 
will soon cease to foment insurrection against the hated Protestant 
conqueror. They have ever been breeders of mischief under the 
congenial rule of Catholic Spain : what won't they do under the 
regime of enlightened America, whose first thought is the liberty that 
means death to extortion and oppression — the cardinal principles of 
their order. By this, I do not mean a propaganda against the Catholic 
Church ; for I am a Catholic myself, and firmly believe that this 
religion is far better suited to the character of our people than any 
form of Protestantism. But the appointment of secular Spanish or 
American priests to the parishes would do away with the evils of 
the other system, without doing violence either to the Church or to 
the conscience of the natives. 

• The monks have opposed every attempt at reform. Their 
policy has ever been the policy of ignorance, knowing that their 
livelihood depended upon its perpetuation. It has been tlieir aim 
chiefly to limit public instruction to the mere rudiments of knowledge 
— giving to every subject a religious bias. Even the colleges and 
the University of Manila are not free from their narrow supervision ; 
while they have ever maintained a rigid censorship over the 
press. 

The natives, however, are gradually breaking through the 
network of superstition that centuries of priestcraft have woven 
round them. That they are open to conviction, — to the light of 
reason and the hope of truth, — deeds bear witness. 



The Church in the Colon}'. 



79 



None but the most enhghtened natives, of course, recognize, as 
yet, their spiritual wants or desire a higher moral state, but many 
of them, privately, attest their waning belief in the Church mo- 
nopoly of all things temporal in their lives. 

Still, owing to the reasons previously stated, those that thus 
impugn and combat ecclesiastical preponderance, do so rarely 
except by secret word or in a limited conclave. 

But the enlightening and invigorating effects incidental to 
American occupation will inevitably loose their tongues and rally 
recruits to their new standard of thought. 

Of this I hope and expect great results. 





The Various Tribes of the Philippines. 



CHARACTER OF THE NATIVES. 

TO judge of the character of one's own people is extremely 
difficult. One is likely to be either too severe or too com- 
plimentary. However, I believe, that — after a residence of 
many years in England and on the Continent, and a subsequent 
stay of eleven years in America, with frequent visits to the 
Philippines — I am able to judge in the abstract, and, in fact, 
comparatively to look upon my own countrymen with the eye 
of a thorough cosmopolitan. 

The natives of the islands are a branch of the Malay race, and 
may be divided into three large groups,— the Tagalogs, the' Vis- 
ayos, and the Sulus, — each group subject to modifications and 
exceptions. The Tagalogs inhabit Luzon, the northern islands 
of the Archipelago, and it is with these that we have mainly to 
deal, as they are by far the most numerous and the most in- 
telligent part of the population, forming, as they do, also the 
majority of the inhabitants in Manila and in the largest ports. 

The first thing that in the native character impresses the 

traveler is his impassive demeanor and imperturbable bearing. 

He is a born stoic, a fatalist by nature. This accounts for his 

coolness in moments of danger, and his intrepid daring against 

overwhelming odds. This feature of the Malay character has 

often been displayed in the conflicts of the race with the 
80 



The Various Tribes. 



8i 






Europeans in the East Indies. Under competent leadership 
the native, though strongly averse to discipline, can be made a 
splendid soldier. As sailors, too, I do not believe they can 
be equalled. For, lithe, active, and fond of the water, the Malays 
have ever shown 

their mchnation ^f' '^'' ■■ J> p. "-^^ *-%:^' 
for the sea. Their 
pirates, coursing in 
their prahus, have, 
till , a few years 
ago, for centuries 
infested the bays 
and inlets of the 
eastern Archipela- 
gos, looting the 
towns and villages 
on shore and tak- 
ing as booty such 
foreign merchant- 
men as they were 
able to overcome. 
On account of the 
ravages of these 
fierce eastern Vi- 
kings, Europeans 
have come to re- 
gard the w^hole 
Malay race as cruel 
and bloodthirsty. 

But these were pirates in their own waters, and preyed upon their 
own countrymen, by whom they were feared no less than were the 
Spanish and English freebooters of old by their countrymen. 
Why, then, should their outrages and rapacity be taken as indi- 
cative of the Malay character any more than are the atrocities of 
the Caucasian corsair of their race ? 

The natives are all excellent swimmers, and are absolutely 
6 




il;lTOS l)|.- I'AMI'.Wi 



82 



The Philippine Islands. 



fearless in the water. I have seen groups of boys diving thirty 
or forty feet for pennies, dropped into the sea by foreign officers 
on ships anchored in the bay. Many swim miles with the greatest 
ease ; and it is no uncommon sight in the outlying districts to see 
groups of naked men plunging with drawn dagger among a shoal 

of sharks, with whom 
they fight with a fierce- 
ness that always re- 
sults in the victory of 
the native. 

Along the beach at 
Manila, on a summer 
evening, at the close 
of the day's labor, hun- 
dreds of hands from 
the various tobacco 
factories — men, 
women, and children, 
of all ages and sizes, 
married and unmai-- 
ried — may be seen dis- 
porting themselves, 
with peals of laughter 
and squeals of delight, 
in the cool surf. 

As a result of the 
stoicism of the native 
character, he never 
bewails a misfortune, and has no fear of death. When any- 
thing happens he merely says, It is fate, and calmly goes about 
his business as if nothing had happened. 

Europeans often seem to notice in them what they deem a 
lack of sympathy for the misfortunes of others ; but it is not 
this so much as resignation to the inevitable. This, it must be 
confessed, saves them many a bitter pang. The educated na- 
tive, however, impregnated with the bitter philosophy of the 




THE IGORROTES. 



The Various Tribes. 83 

civilized world, is by no means so imperturbable. While more 
keenly alive to the sufferings of others, he is also more sensitive 
to his own sorrows. After all, whether he is any happier for his 
wisdom, is a question. 

Incomprehensible inconsistencies obtain in nearly every native. 
Students of character may, therefore, study the Filipinos for 
years, and yet, at last, have no definite impression of their 
mental or moral status. Of course those living in the cities are less 
baffling to the physiognomist and the ethnologist ; for endemic 
peculiarities have been rubbed off or so modified, that the racial 
traits are not obvious. 

But observe the natives in the v.dlds, in their primitive abodes, 
where civilizing forces have not penetrated ! You will then be 
amazed at the extraordinary mingling and clashing of antithetical 
characteristics in one and the same person ; uncertain as to when 
the good or the bad may be manifested. Like the wind, the mood 
comes and goes, — and no one can tell wh)'. 

I myself, with all the inherited feelings, tastes, and tendencies 
of my countrymen, — modified and transmuted, happily, — have stood 
aghast or amused at some hitherto unknown characteristic sudden- 
ly manifesfing itself in an intimate acquaintance ; and after I had 
been for j'ears, too, wholly ignorant of his being so possessed or 
obsessed. And after that, the same mental or moral squint would 
be displayed at irregular intervals. 

It is said by some that the native is shiftless and improvi- 
dent. 

It is true that he is not noted for foresight and energy, as are the 
peoples of the temperate zones ; but his indolence is the result of 
generations of tropical ancestors. Even the most energetic Euro- 
peans yield, in a few years, to the enervating effects of the climate, 
and are unable to shake off the lassitude bred by the heat. Besides, 
deprived by the Spaniards from all active participation in affairs of 
the Government, and robbed of the fruits of industry, all incentive 
to advancement and progress was taken away. He, therefore, yields 
with composure to the crushing conditions of his environment, pre- 
ferring the lazy joys of indolence rather than labor for the benefit of his 



84 The Philippine Islands. 

oppressors. Naturally. Recent events, however, show that, 
given the stimulant of hope, even the " indolent natives " of the 
Philippines can achieve and nobly dare. 

Some Spaniards also have asserted that the Filipinos are nat- 
urally disloyal and treacherous, and that their word is not to be 
depended on. 

Now, the whole world knows that they have every reason to 
be disloyal to the Spaniard, who has for centuries so cruelly 
oppressed them. The devotion to the cause of freedom, how- 
ever, which has recently made Rizal and hundreds of others 
martyrs to Spanish cruelty, shows that they also have the stuff 
that heroes are made of, and that they can be loyal to an animating 
principle. 

In many places the natives are unwilling to work without pay in 
advance, and this has been a great drawback to investors. For, 
after receiving their money, the)^ frequently refuse to perform a 
stroke of work, knowing that their employer has no remedy 
except in the dilatory process of the courts, which would only 
increase his expense and exaggerate his troubles. This has no 
terrors for the native. While, of course, this is to be deprecated, it 
may be remedied by gaining the confidence of the natives ; for it is 
undoubtedly the result of generations of Spanish robbery, where 
these people were forced to labor for their employers, — frequently 
the priests, — having no reward save the lash or promises of a golden 
crown in heaven. They, therefore, naturally look upon investors 
vi'ith some suspicion. However, in the more civilized districts, 
where modern and humane business methods prevail, hundreds of 
thousands are employed, to the profit both of themselves and their 
employers. 

Though calm, the native is not secretive, but often loquacious. 
He is naturally curious and inquisitive, but always polite, and 
respectful withal — especially to his superiors. He is passionate, 
and, in common with all half-civilized races, is cruel to his foes. 
The quality of mercy, like the sentiment — as distinguished from 
the passion — of love, is perhaps more the product of the philosophy 
of civilization than a natural attribute of the human heart. The 



The Various Tribes. 



85 



romantic history of Mediaeval Europe, as compared with the placid 
present, is proof of this. 

All travelers unite in attributing to the natives extreme family 
affection. They are very fond of their children, who, as a rule, 
are respectful and well-behaved. The noisy little hoodlums of 
European and American cities are utterly unknown. The old 
are tenderl}' cared for, and are venerated ; while in almost every 
well-to-do household are one or two poor relatives who, while 
mere hangers-on, are, nevertheless, always made welcome to the 




INTERIOR OK A NATIVE HUT. 



table of their host. Indeed, the hospitality of the Filipinos is 
proverbial. A guest is always welcome, and welcome to the best. 
The better class, too, gladly embrace every opportunity to feast 
their neighbors or the stranger within their gates. 

As a rule, the people are superstitious and very credulous ; but 
how could they be otherwise ? For three hundred years they have 
been denied even the liberty of investigation ; when no light, save 
the dim glimmer of priestcraft pierced the utter darkness of their 



86 



The Philippine Islands. 



lot. Those that have been educated, however, have proved apt 
converts — only too apt say the priests and the Spaniards— to the 

conclusions of Science 
and of modern re- 
search. 

The native is rarely 
humorous, and seldom 
witty. He is not easily 
moved to anger, and 
when angry does not 
often show it. When 
he does, like the Malay 
of Java, he is prone to 
lose all control of him- 
self, and, with de- 
structive energy, slays 
all in his path. This 
is infrequent, how- 
ever, but is a contin- 
gency that may occur 
at any time. 

If a native has been 
unjustly punished, he 
will never forget it, 
and will treasure the 
memory of his wrong 
until a good opportu- 
nity for revenge pre- 
sents itself. 

Like all courageous 
people, he despises 
cowardice and pusil- 
lanimity. He has, 
therefore, but little 

A HIGH-BORN FILIPINA : UPPER GARMENT OF COSTLY PINA. i r j l 1 

regard for the meek 
and humble Chinaman, who will pocket an insult rather than 




The Various Tribes. 87 

avenge himself. He greatly esteems the European, who is 
possessed of the qualities that he admires, and will follow him 
into the Yer\- jaws of death. He is easil}^ awed by a demon- 
stration of superior force, and is ruled best by mild but firm 
coercion, — based upon justice. He is not often ambitious, 
save socialh', and to make some display, being fond of ceremony 
and of the pomp and glitter of a procession. He is sober, 
patient, and always clean. This can be said of few peoples. 
He easily adjusts himself to new conditions, and will soon 
make the best of his surroundings. As servants they are 
honest, obedient, and will do as they are told. 

It must be said that the}' enjoy litigation more than is good 
for them or for the best interests of the colony. There must 
be some psychological reason for this. It doubtless gives some 
play to the subtlety of the Oriental mind. It is said that he 
lacks the sense of initiative ; and to some extent this may be 
true. The recent conduct of Aguinaldo — a full-blooded native — 
proves, notwithstanding", that he is not wholl}' deficient in 
aggressiveness nor in organizing power. 

Though not as artistic as the Japanese, the Filipinos have 
shown many evidences of art talent. This is seen in the em- 
broidery of the women, as well as in the work of the native 
painters and sculptors. Some of these have been honored 
with high prizes at the Art Exhibition in Madrid. I remem- 
ber particularly the brothers Luna : one educated in Spain, 
and there distinguished by his remarkable talent with the 
brush ; the other known for his wonderful virtuosity. 

Moreover, in nothing are the Filipinos so proficient as in 
music. Every village has its orchestra, and in the evening the 
whole district turns out to enjoy its playing. 

All the people are, in fact, born musicians ; even little boys 
and girls of five or six years of age play the harp, the guitar, or the 
piano as if by instinct ; while their elders show a proficiency 
that, when their opportunities are considered, is truly aston- 
ishing. The clergy, appreciating that music is the foe of vice 
and a promoter of virtue, have wiseh' encouraged the natives 



88 The Philippine Islands. 

in this art. It is now taught in all the higher schools in the 
colony. 

At the many feasts, religious and secular, which are the 
delight of the natives, music is always the most enjoyable 
feature, the bands playing for hours together, both performers. 
and listeners being so engrossed as to be wholly unconscious 
of the lapse of time. 



A NATIVE WEDDING. 

The native usually marries early, — the brides often but eleven 
or twelve years of age. A marriage-feast is entered into with 
pomp and ceremony. It is a not unimportant occasion for the 
priest also, who usually sets the da}^, and expects a large fee, — 
dependent upon the wealth of the contracting parties. The 
evening before the ceremony, both bride and groom go to 
confession, to receive absolution. About five o'clock the follow- 
ing morning they leave the house of the bride, joined by a long 
procession of relatives. 

After mass has been said, the bride and groom stand before 
the priest, who places over their shoulders a thick mantle, which 
is to typify the bodily union. He then recites his formula and 
asks the usual questions. To these both respond in the same 
low voice characteristic of such replies the world over. As the 
wedded pair are leaving the church, a bowl of coin is passed to 
them. The new husband stops, takes a handful and gives it 
to his wife, who receives it and returns it to the bowl. 
This is a token that he gives to her his worldl}' goods. All 
then solemnly return to the paternal residence, where, mean- 
while, a banquet has been prepared. 

This feast is called Catapiisan which means a gathering of 
friends. All the notables of the village, as well as all the rela- 
tives on both sides, are invited to it. The table is loaded with 
the good things of the season. Light liquors, chocolate, and 
sweetmeats are then offered to the giiests, with betel-nuts and 
cigars and cigarettes. 




'^M-'-'ir^'ii^MMWi 



90 



The Philippine Islands. 



The dancing now begins. A youth and a maiden stand 
facing each other, both singing a sentimental song. Then fol- 
lows a musical dialogue, while both dance round each other, 
keeping step to the music furnished bj' the native orchestra. 
A young woman then steps into the middle of the floor,— 

her long hair flowing 
down her back, her 
eyes sparkling. The 
music begins in a low 
plaintive key, that 
gradually becomes 
more and more forlorn, 
while her languid 
movements express 
various degrees of sor- 
row. Gradually the 
strain flows into a 
livelier measure, and 
she becomes more and 
more animated, until 
at last she sinks down 
in a whirl of delirious 
passion. Then, again, 
a girl dances with a 
glass of water on her 
head ; or some other 
form of entertainment 
IS given. 

After the dancing, 
the men and women 
retire to their respec- 
tive quarters. 

The marriage is always arranged by the parents of the two young 
persons, who go through an established etiquette of advance and 
refusal before the dowry terms are arranged. If the parents of 
the young man are poor and he can offer no dowry, he often 




AUTHOR IN SILKEN SUIT : KIN'D WORN BY HIGH-CLASS NATIVES. 



The Various Tribes. 91 

enters the household of his intended on probation, — as Jacob 
did to win Rachael. 

The wedding-feast is always given by the father of the groom, 
who also furnishes the dowry for the bride. The young mar- 
ried couple then live with the parents of one of the parties. 
The wife always remains mistress of her own property, and 
the husband can in no event inherit it. The children often 
add the surname of the mother to that of the father, thus 
making the woman of greater prominence. 

Before the middle of the century there were no distinct 
family surnames, and there were, consequently, no complications 
of families possible. To introduce greater simplicity into the 
laws of inheritance, the names of distinguished Spanish fam- 
ilies were introduced into the colony, — each family receiving 
a distinct appellation. 

DRESS AND MANNERS. 

The men are usually of medium height, lithe, and of a rich 
brown color, with large cheek-bones, bright eyes and immobile 
countenances. The better kind dress in loose shirts, or blouses, 
worn outside the trousers and of native manufacture, made of 
abaca, or Manila hemp ; or of the airy, delicate, and almost 
transparent pifia, — a texture of pine-apple leaf, as choice as 
the finest lace. 

This is of white, or light yellow, and often interwoven with 
red, green or blue silk, or embroidered with flowers. The 
white or light-colored trousers are fastened round the waist 
with a belt. The feet are sometimes bare, or protected by 
sandals or patent-leather shoes. On the head is usually worn 
a salacot — a large round hat, strongly plaited with gray-and- 
black intersecting patterns of nito or liana fibre, the brim orna- 
mented with a band of embroidered cloth or silver. 

The dress of the poorer class is very similar — the material 
being coarser, the colors red and orange predominating. 

The woman wears a flowing skirt of gay colors — bright red, 



92 



The Philippine Islands. 



green or white — with a silken sa^'a or sarong of many colors. 
Over this is a narrower waist-cloth usually of silk and of 
a darker color. Over the breast and shoulders is generally 




FULL-BLOODED NATIVE GIRL IN RECEPTION ATTIRE. 



thrown a starched neckcloth of beautiful embroidered pina — 
folded triangularh^, the points fitting in the hollow of the 
V-shaped chemisette. On the head is worn a white mantle, from 



The Various Tribes. 93 

which the rippling cataract of raven hair falls in massy folds almost 
to the ground. The toes of the naked feet are enveloped in 
chinelas,— a heelless slipper, which is shuffled with languorous grace. 

Many of the women are pretty, and all are good-natured and 
smiling. Their complexion, of light brown, is usually clear 
and smooth ; their eyes are large and lustrous, full of the sleep- 
ing passion of the Orient. The figures of the women are usually 
erect and stately, and many are models of grace and beauty. 

The women of every class are far more industrious than 
the men, and also more cheerful and devout. Adultery is al- 
most unheard of. The men, however, are exceedingly jealous. 
The natives believe that during sleep the soul is absent from 
the body, and they say that if one be suddenly wakened they 
fear the soul may not be able to return. Therefore, they are 
extremely careful not to waken anyone rudely or suddenly, 
but always call with softly-rising and falling tones, to bring the 
sleeper gradually to consciousness. 

The preceding observations concerning the Tagalogs, the 
natives of the north, are also, in the main, true of the Visayos, their 
southern brethren. The latter, however, are not so cheerful 
or so hospitable, and are more ostentatious and aggressive. Their 
women, too, are more vain and avaricious. These slight differ- 
ences are perhaps due to the fact that they have far less inter- 
course with the civilized world than the Tagalogs. 

THE HALF-BREEDS, OR MESTIZOS. 

No less interesting, and even more influential than the natives, 
are the half-breeds, or mestizos. They form a large percentage 
of the population. These are usually of native mothers and of 
Spanish or Chinese fathers. The Spanish fathers are, how- 
ever, a distinct class from the Chinese fathers, and rank 
much higher socially, exchanging visits with the pure Spanish. 
They are, most always, a handsome race, and more intelligent 
than the pure natives, and far more energetic and ambitious. 
Among them are many leading merchants and men of influence. 



94 The Philippine Islands. 

The mestiza girls are, as a rule, often of wonderful beauty. 
They are lithe and graceful and of a soft olive complexion, 
with red lips, pearly teeth, and ravishing black eyes, whose 
long lashes droop coquettishly in response to the admiring 
glance of a stranger. Their dancing is justly famed, and those 
educated in the convents are musical and often acccomplished 
in other ways. The peculiar characteristics and the increase 
of energy due to this infusion of European blood, however, 
disappear if no further admixture takes place in the se:cond 
generation. It is more lasting, on the other hand, where the 
Malay has been crossed w^ith the Chinese. This is probably 
due to the great similarity of the two races. 

These Malays, with an infusion of Chinese, are called mestizo- 
Chinos. They also are more intelligent than the pure Malay, 
and far more shrewd. Many of the leading merchants of Manila 
are of this mixture. They do not, however, enjoy the confi- 
dence of the people, and are a tricky and disturbing element 
in the population. They have the mongrel stamp and a cun- 
ning, shifty look. They are full of intrigue too, and it was, 
indeed, because they formed so large a part of the rebels that the 
high-class natives hesitated so long about joining the insur- 
gents ; not wishing to combine even with the despised mestizo- 
Chinos against the hated Spanish ; for the government of the latter 
was preferable to that of the former. 

SAVAGE TRIBES IN THE INTERIOR : AETAS, OR NEGRITOS. 

Over all the islands are scattered a mountain tribe called 
Aetas, or Negritos. These are supposed to be the aborigines. 
They are very dark, some being as black as negroes. They 
are doubtless of African descent and are said to resemble the 
natives of New Guinea. Their hair is black, curly, and matted. 
They go almost naked, and have but little self-respect. They 
are also puny, stupid, and ugly, and of a low order of intellect, 
incapable of improvement, and deficient in judgment and in 
aggressiveness. They are, on the other hand, remarkably fleet 



The Viirious Tribes. 



95 



of foot. They subsist mainl}- by hunting. Their usual weapons 
are a lance of bamboo, a palm-wood bow, and a quiver of 
poisoned arrows. 

About hfty families commonly live together, and their vil- 
lages of rude, thatched 
huts, raised on bam- 
boo poles high from 
the ground, present 
a curious appearance. 
They were the orig- 
inal lords of the isl- 
ands, and when the 
first Malays settled 
here, they, with un- 
failing regularity, ex- 
acted tribute from the 
newcomers. The lat- 
ter, however, soon be- 
came too powerful, 
and the Negritos are 
now either employed 
by the Tagalogs as 
servants, or they have 
fled to their retreats 
in the mountains. 
But they are fast dis- 
appearing, and, hence, 
before many generations, will have perished before the destruc- 
tive blast of progress. 

Their principal food is fish, roots, fruits, and rice. They are 
notorious cattle - thieves, swooping down upon the valley and 
carrying their prey to their fastnesses in the mountains. Their 
agricultural skill consists in scratching the soil with a stick 
and throwing in the seed. They rarely ever spend more than 
one season in one locality, thus constantly moving from place to 
place. 




NEGRITOS ENJOYING A PRIMITIVE SUN-SHADE. 



96 The Philippine Islands. 

Their religion seems to consist in a deification of the super- 
natural and of the mysterious. When the railroad was first con- 
structed from Manila to Dagupan, these Negritos constantly ap- 
peared along the track, which they regarded with feelings of 
awe. 

When the trial journey of the first locomotive took place, and 
that huge iron salamander appeared thundering down the track, 
it is related that they all fell upon their knees in abject terror, 
worshiping the strange monster as some new and powerful deity. 

Unlike most savages, they care tender^ for their aged, and are 
full of reverence for their dead. 

As a rule, too, they are independent of Spanish domination, and 
neither pay taxes nor submit to enumeration for the census. 

A few years ago the Government started a mission in Pam- 
panga ; a great many Negritos were herded together, and were 
given a year's provisions and tools to work with. Teachers 
were also provided, and all went well as long as the provisions 
lasted. They refused to work, however, and were averse to all 
restraint, and the second }^ear they returned to their native 
haunts. 

They have a curious marriage custom. After a young man 
has shown his passion for a girl, and his advances have been 
well received by the parents of his intended, he catches her in 
his arms. She breaks loose, however, and runs. He follows 
hard behind. Again he catches her. She resists, and once more 
frees herself, running away from the eager arms of her ardent 
lover. After this play of struggle and chase have been kept up a 
little while, she finally yields, and he leads her triumphantly back 
to her home. 

The father of the bride now drags the youth up a rude lad- 
der to the floor of the elevated hut ; the mother likewise leads 
up her daughter. They are then made to kneel down, when 
the old man throws a cocoanut-shell full of water over the 
pair. He then bumps their heads together, and they are ad- 
judged man and wife. They spend their honeymoon in the 
mountains, where, in undisturbed and shelterless connubial bliss^ 



98 The Philippine Islands. 

they remain five days and nights. Then they return to the com- 
monplace life of the village. 



THE GADDANES, 

In the northwestern part of Luzon is a tierce, unsubdued 
tribe known as the Gaddanes. They are very dark and strong, 
and present a fine appearance, armed with long, sharp spears 
and with bows and arrows. They wear their hair down to 
their shoulders, and, like the American Indians, take the scalps 
of their enemies slain in battle ; these the young men present 
to the fathers of their intended as a proof of their valor. 

This takes place when the fire-tree bursts into bloom ; its 
fiery blossoms have, to their minds, a certain religious signifi- 
cance. It is then they collect all trophies of war, and perform 
the rude rites of their nature-worship. They subsist on fish, 
game, and fruit. 

THE IGORROTES. 

A fine race are the Igorrotes, spread over the northern half 
of Luzon. They are copper-colored, and also wear their hair 
long. A few are bearded. Their shoulders are broad, and their 
limbs brawny and powerful. Because of their high cheek-bones, 
flat noses, and thick lips, they would not, however, by a European 
or an American, be considered good-looking. 

They cultivate sugar-cane, rice, and sweet-potatoes, but have 
never been able to give up their savage customs for civiliza- 
tion. Their houses are not unlike the huts of the Esquimaux. 
Polygamy sometimes exists, but adultery is almost unknown. 
Murder is said to be frequent, and family feuds often take off 
great numbers. 

Their depredations in the interior are often of great annoy- 
ance to the domesticated natives ; for they carry ofi their cattle 



The Various Tribes. 99 

and their crops. Many expeditions have, from time to time, 
been made by the Spaniards against them ; but all have sig- 
nally failed. The Igorrotes obstinately refuse to be civilized. 
Spanish dominion holds for these liberty-loving people few 
advantages ; Catholicism offers them little peace ; while they 
maintain that the traditional heaven of the European would not 
at all suit them. 




A BODY-GUARD OF IGORROTES. 



Upon one occasion a Catholic priest was horrified when an 
Igorrote asked him why it was that no black man ever became a 
white man's Saint ? When told that it was possible, he refused 
to believe it, saying that he, for his part, was content with the 
religion of his ancestors, and did not intend to bend his knees in 
adoration of the gods of the pale-faces. 



loo The Philippine Islands. '' 

THE IGORROTE-CHINESE. 

The Igorrote-Chinese are the descendants of the Chinese 
that the pirate Li-ma-hong left behind him when he sud- 
denly quitted his colony in the province of Pangasinan in 1574. 
These, to escape the advancing Spaniards, hid in the hills, where 
they intermarried with the Igorrotes, their descendants, whom they 
much resemble, with, however, some important differences. For, 
with the cunning and the shrewdness of their Chinese ancestors, 
they combine the Igorrote fierceness and independence. Many of 
these have been domesticated. 

THE TINGUIANES. 

In the district of El Abra, in Luzon, are the Tinguianes, who 
are semi-civilized and under the control of the Spaniards. 
They prefer, however, their own laws to those of the Spanish 
code, and usually abide by them. If a man is accused of a 
crime and he denies it, the head-man of his village, who is also 
the judge, causes a handful of straw to be burnt in his presence. 
The accused then holds up an earthen pot and says : " Ma)^ my 
belly be changed to a pot like this if I am guilty of the crime 
of which I am accused." If he remains unchanged in body, 
the judge declares him innocent. 

The head-man himself, upon assuming his ofifice, takes the 
following curious oath : " May a destructive whirlwind kill me, 
may the lightning strike me, and may an alligator devour me 
when I am asleep if I fail to do my duty." 

They are pagans, and they believe that their gods will 
answer prayer. For worship, they resort to their caves in the 
mountains. When a child is to be named, it is carried to the 
woods, where the priest raises a knife over its head, at the same 
time pronouncing a name. He then, with the knife, strikes 
a tree. If sap flows forth, the name is deemed good ; if not, 
he goes through the same ceremony until the desired result 
is produced ; the god, then, is supposed to have given his 
consent. 



The Various Tribes. loi 

They are very inteUigent, and are a well-formed race, and 
many are handsome, with aquiline noses. On the crown of the 
head they wear a tuft of hair, like the Japanese. Like the domesti- 
cated natives, they are very fond of music and of dress. They tattoo 
their bodies and also black their teeth, and are supposed to 
have descended from the shipwrecked Japanese cast upon the 
island. 



A NATIVE RESTAURANT, IN BINONDO. 

THE CHINESE: HATED BUT INDISPENSABLE. 

Long before the Spanish occupation, Chinese trading-junks 
stopped at the Philippine Islands ; and, after the founding of 
Manila, being well received by the Spaniards, who depended 
upon them for many necessities, they established trading-posts 
in various parts of the colony. 

In 1580 the Government built the Alcayceria — a large build- 



102 The Philippine Islands. 

ing that was used as a kind of Chinese market. Here were 
situated all the Chinese shops, which it was thought better to con- 
fine to one locality : they might be regulated the more easily. 

The Alcayceria proved too small, however, and the shops 
were soon in every part of the Binondo. Other centres were 
soon provided for them, where the Government protected and 
even encouraged the enterprise of the Chinamen. 

The native and the Spanish merchants becoming alarmed at 
the increase of the Celestials, began an agitation, whose object 
was to limit their number to 6,000 ; but the movement re- 
ceived little encouragement from the Government, which drew 
a large revenue from the Chinamen. 

In 1755 fhis agitation was renewed, and it was resolved to 
expel all non-Christian Chinese. The day before the law went 
into effect 515 asked for and obtained baptism, while over 
1 100 desired to stay, that they might study the mysteries of the 
Christian religion. More than 2,000 were banished from the 
colony. In 1603 two Chinese mandarins, accompanied by a 
large retinue, came to Manila to make inquiries concerning a 
mountain of gold that some of their countrymen had said was 
located near Cavite. They were received with much ceremony, 
and the Governor-General allowed them to pursue their quest. 
It proved fruitless, of course. 

Persuaded that they had been deceived, they sailed away, 
leaving the colony in a fever of speculation as to the real ob- 
ject of their visit. Various rumors sprang up in Manila ; all to 
the effect that the Chinese Emperor contemplated the con- 
quest of the colon}', and that the Chinese population were 
fomenting an insurrection to aid his designs. They were also 
accused of secreting arms, and many outbreaks from time to 
time arose against them, until finally the poor Chinese, beset 
on every hand, and hourly menaced by secret assassination and 
open violence, were forced to assume the offensive. Accord- 
ingly, they raised fortifications, and on the eve of St. Francis' 
day they opened hostilities by attacking one of the suburbs of 
the city. With the beating of gongs and the flying of colors 



The Various Tribes. 103 

they next besieged Binondo itself, burning houses and commit- 
ting many other outrages on the way. 

The Spaniards gallantly advanced to repel them, and Das- 
mariiias, the e.x-Governor-General, led the attack with the 
flower of his countrymen ; but the odds against them were 




CHINESE MERCHAN'TS ON THEIR WAY TO THE JOSS HOUSE. 

too great, and scarcely a man was left to tell the tale of their 
defeat. 

The Chinese, flushed with success, now besieged the city 
itself, but, running short of provisions, — which the natives were, 



104 The Philippine Islands. 

of course, unwilling to furnish them, — they were finally com- 
pelled to give up the siege. 

As they retreated, the Spaniards, constantly reinforced by 
bands of natives, pursued them, killing thousands on the way. 
They were then finally driven into the interior, where the same 
fate awaited them — of whom not less than 24,000 were killed 
and taken prisoners. 

In 1639 some Chinese traders, in the town of Calamba, La- 
guna province, exasperated beyond endurance by the insults and 
outrages heaped upon them by the Spanish Governor, killed 
this official and one or two of his subordinates, and flew to open 
rebellion. The Chinese all over the colony joined the rebels, 
and it is estimated that not less than 30,000 Chinese were 
under arms. This lasted nearly a year, and resulted in the 
surrender of the Chinese ; most of whom, however, were spared. 

In 1660 there was another rising and a massacre. The 
Chinese, nevertheless, were still allowed to remain. They were 
so important a part of the commercial life of the province 
they could not long be spared. For more than a century the 
Chinese now pursued their avocations in absolute security. 

When, however, in 1763 they joined the British invaders, 
little mercy was shown them by the Spaniards, who killed sev- 
eral thousands. 

In 1820 the natives began the massacre of the Chinese and 
other foreigners, whom they accused of poisoning the drinking 
water, thus producing an epidemic of cholera. 

Only since 1843 have the Chinese shops been opened on 
the same terms as those of other foreigners. But there is no 
doubt that the Chinese have been a great boon to the colony. 
They have had, in the main, a civilizing influence on the na- 
tives, and have taught them many important things : as the 
working of iron and the manufacture of sugar from the juice 
of the sugar-cane. They have also ever been the leaders in 
commerce and the chief middlemen of the colony ; and, for 
this reason mainly they have been deemed an unwelcome 
necessity ; for, without them, trade would almost be brought 



The Various Tribes. 



105 



to a standstill, and, in consequence, labor would suffer and 
living be rendered dearer to ever}' class. 

By their superior shrewdness and unscrupulous cunning they 
have, on the other hand, excited the hatred of the natives, who 
despise them for their cowardice. Thus, from time to time, the 
feeling against them is very bitter. 

Another objection against the Celestial is that he underbids all 




A CHIN'KSE CHOCOLATE-MAKKR. 



competitors, working for what others deem less than living wages. 
Furthermore, he spends little, and all that he saves he carries to 
his own country. Their expulsion, however, would be as unwise 
as it is impracticable, and the only remedy that meets the case 
is a proper State-control. The employment of coolie labor, not- 
withstanding, is at present impossible, on account of the hatred 
that the lower-class natives feel toward them. 



io6 



The Philippine Islands. 



In Manila there are at present no less than 40,000 Chinese, 
while the whole colony contains about 100,000. They have their 
own courts, their guilds, and secret societies, which are necessary 
for their self-protection, and they choose representative deputa- 
tions to represent them in the Government. 





The Mohammedans of Sulu. 

CROSS OR CRESCENT ? 

IN the lower part of the Phihppine group, in the islands of Sulu 
and Mindanao, the Catholic Spanish conqueror early came 
into conflict with a religion not less intense and fanatical than 
his own. The story of this fierce struggle between Malay Mus- 
sulman and Spanish Catholic reads not unlike the more celebrated 
conflict between Christian and Mohammedan in the days of 
good King Ferdinand and pious Isabella. Here, too, was waged 
that dire battle of the creeds that deluged half of Europe with 
holy blood. Here, too, was mutual advance and retreat, but no 
reconciliation — no conversion. 

The island of Sulu, on account of its position between Min- 
danao and Borneo, became, in this wise, populated by the fol- 
lowers of the Prophet : About three centuries ago Paguian Tindig, 
a Borneo chief, quarreled with his brother and was forced to 
flee for his life. He landed on Sulu Island, where he soon 
achieved great fame as a warrior. His cousin, Adasaolan, who 
had accompanied him, had taken up his abode in Basilan. Here 
he lorded it over the natives, but acknowledged the suzerainty 
of the Spaniards. 

Adasaolan married a Mahometan princess — a daughter of the 

King of Mindanao, where, it appears, Islamism had been carried 

by Arab missionaries. 

107 



io8 



The Philippine Islands. 



Soon afterward, Adasaolan, longing for the possession of the 
fat acres of Sulu, attacked his cousin Tindig, and vanquished 
that intrepid soldier, who died fighting bravely. However, 
Rajah Bongso, and not Adasaolan, succeeded Tindig. Never- 
theless, Adasaolan 
had, with the aid 
of friends from 
Borneo and Min- 
danao, introduced 
Mahometanism 
into Sulu, which 
has since become 
the Mecca of the 
Philippines. 

In 1596 the 
Spaniards sent an 
expedition to Min- 
danao, but were 
repulsed. Their 
ravages and con- 
stant desire for 
conquest embit- 
tered the Moham- 
medans, — who, re- 
taliating, began to 
ht out expeditions 
against their 
C h ri s t i a n ene- 
mies ; like birds of prey they hovered round the bays with their prahus, 
penetrating every inlet. These pirates soon became the terror of the 
Spanish coasts, and were as brave as they were merciless. For three 
centuries they pre3^ed upon Spanish merchantmen, pillaged the 
northern towns and villages, massacring the old and helpless, 
leading thousands of Christian women into concubinage, and tens 
of thousands of able-bodied men into slavery. Myriads were 
thus murdered, and incalculable damage done, all because of the 




CHIEFTAINS OF SULU. 



The Mohammedans of Suki. 109 

continued attempt of the Spaniards to win their southern neigh- 
bors to their own faith. 

In 1750 the Sultan Mahamed Ahmudin, having been deposed 
by his brother, Prince Bantilan, visited Manila. He was lavishly 
entertained by the Priest-Governor, who was unceasing in his 
efforts to persuade him to renounce Christianity. _ The Sultan at 
last yielded and was baptized. He was christened Ferdinand I. 
of Sulu. The rank of a Spanish Lieutenant-General was also 
accorded him. 

All this was done with great pomp and ceremony. Te Dennis 
were sung in all the churches ; glittering processions marched 
daily through the streets ; comedies were acted on the streets, 
for the benefit of the populace, who shared in the general re- 
joicing : bull-fights and other equally delightful and harmless 
recreations were also the order of the day — all given at the 
expense of the Church, which regarded the conversion of the Head 
of the hated Mussulmans as an event of no ordinary importance. 

THE sultan's state. 

The Sultan lived in great state. He had a retinue of sixty 
persons, and was accompanied by many of the princes of the 
blood. All lived on the generous bounty of Spain. 

Measures were now apparently begun to restore the deposed 
monarch to his throne. But the Spaniards pretended to dis- 
cover that the Sultan harbored designs against them, and that he 
possessed a secret preference for the Mussulman faith. For this 
crime he, with all his relatives and retainers, 160 in number, was 
cast into prison, where he was confined several years. 

A decree of extermination was then declared against the 
Mohammedans. A fleet of ships, carrying 2000 men, at once 
proceeded to Sulu, which the natives defended most ably. The 
Spanish campaign proved a dismal failure, and awful were the 
reprisals of the infuriated Mussulmans. 

In 1755 most of the Sultan's suite was sent back to Sulu, 
though the Sultan himself was still kept in close confinement. 



no The Philippine Islands. 

The wily Mohammedan again professed Christianity; but, though 
the Sultan was henceforth treated with greater leniency, he was 
not released : he remained captive in Manila until the occupa- 
tion of the British, in 1763, who restored him to his throne in 
Sulu. 

As might be expected, Mahamed lost no opportunity to avenge 
the insults that his hereditary enemies had for so many years 
been heaping upon him ; accordingly, he led several incursions 
against them. 




SULU WARRIORS IN FIGHTING ATTITUDE. 



I have not space here to recount the various expeditions of the 
Spaniards against their southern neighbors. I shall, instead, men- 
tion only the more prominent ones of recent years. 

In 1 85 1, Sulu Town, the capital of Sulu, was attacked and 
razed by the Spaniards. Their- advantage, however, proved but 
temporary. The Mohammedans now changed their capital to 
Maybun on the south coast, which is far less accessible. 

In i860, Governor-General Norzagaray led another expedition 
against the Mohammedans. This also met with some success ; 



The Mohammedans of Sulu. iii 

but none of it was decisive. On account of the persistent 
renewals of the hated Sulu pirac)'- in 1876, another expedition, 
under Vice-Admiral Malcampo, pierced the interior of Sulu, where 
he was ambushed and attacked by a body of juramentados, — 
formidable fanatics, armed with javelins and the deadly kris. 
He returned to Manila having sustained great loss. 



THE DREADED JURAMENTADOS. 

These juramentados are Mohammedans, who, having taken an 
inviolable oath to shed the blood of the hated Christian, and, 
having absolutely no fear of death, are as dangerous as they are 
fanatical. 

By the laws of Sulu, the bankrupt debtor is the slave of his 
creditor ; and not only he, but likewise his wife and children, 
whom he can free only by the sacrifice of his life— by enrolling 
himself in the ranks of the juramentados, who combine the per- 
formance of a religious duty with the patriotic pleasure of killing 
their Christian enemy. The panditas, or priests, encourage him 
in this resolve until he is brought to a very frenzy of enthusiasm. 
In their meetings the priests sing to these sworn assassins im- 
passioned chants, that hold out the most entrancing visions of 
the joys of Paradise, perpetual happiness, and the honej'ed kisses 
and rapturous embraces of beautiful houris. Similar to the 
Druids of old, they, too, stand like avenging deities in the religious 
gloom of the forests, and incite these fanatics to the destruction 
of their enemies : they promise eternal reward; holding up to 
their excited imaginations delightful pictures of sensual enjoy- 
ment. 

Thus lashed into a fury of madness, the juramentado becomes 
more beast than human, and is forever lusting for murder. He 
oils his supple limbs and rushes ferociously into the conflict. 
Nothing can stay him. He knows that he is going to certain 
death — that is but the door to Paradise ! In his excitement he 
feels no pain; and, though severely wounded, he will continue his 
furious onset until killed. Hence, he cares not how many oppose 



The Philippine Islands. 



him; the more the better ; he will probably succeed in doing 

greater execution. 

A distinguished 
French scientist, Dr. 
M o n t a n 6, gives a 
vivid description of 
the entry of eleven 
juramentados into the 
village of Tianzgi. 
Divided into three 
or four bands they 
secretly entered the 
town, by concealing 
themselves, with their 
krises, in loads of 
fodder that they pre- 
tended to have for 
sale. After stabbing 
the guards they rushed 
up the street,— strik- 
ing at all whom they 
met. 

The soldiers in the 
garrison, hearing the 
cry ''Los juramenta- 
dos ! " seized their 
guns and advanced to 
meet them. 

The mad Mahome- 
tans rushed blindly 
on them, cutting and 
slashing right and left. 
Again and again, 
though shot and shat- 
tered by the hail of 

bullets, they rose and flung themselves upon their enemies. One 

of them, though transfixed by a bayonet, remained erect, — strug- 




A BAMBOO THICKf:T IX SUM'. 



The Mohammedans of Suhi. 113 

gling fiercely to reach the soldier that had impaled him. Nor 
would he cease his furious efforts till another soldier had blown 
his brains out with a pistol. Before all of the juramentados could 
be killed, they had hacked fifteen soldiers to pieces, besides 
wounding many others. 

"And what wounds!" says Dr. Montano ; "the head of one 
corpse is cut off as clean as if it had been done with a razor ; 
another soldier is cut almost in two. The first of the wounded 
to come under my hand was a soldier of the Third Regiment, 
who was mounting guard at the gate through which some of the 
assassins entered. His left arm was fractured in three places ; 
his shoulder and breast were literally cut up like mince-meat ; 
amputation appeared to be the only chance for him ; but in that 
lacerated flesh there was no longer a spot from which could be 
cut a shred." 

THE EXTENT OF MOHAMMEDAN RULE. 

The Mussulmans are, indeed, over the whole of the island of 
Mindanao. It is under the Sultanate of Sulu, there being two 
Sultanates in the island. Not more than a fourth of Mindanao is 
under Spanish rule, although by an old treaty, never enforced, 
Spain claimed suzerainty over all the territory subject to the 
Sultan of Sulu. This treaty was formally recognized at the close 
of the war of 1876. 

In the interior of Mindanao are many fierce and savage tribes, 
owning allegiance to no government, controlled only by their own 
fierce passions. 

A bagani, or man of might, is one that has won recognition by 
having cut off sixty heads. This entitles him to wear a scarlet 
turban. No one not a bagani can be a chief. Thus, murder 
and assassination are legalized and honored. 

The Mandayas, to escape from the baganis, are wont to build their 
huts in the branches of lofty trees, thirty or forty feet from the 
ground. Here they climb when attacked, defending themselves 
by hurling stones upon their assailants. The baganis usually 



114 The Philippine Islands. 

attempt to take them by surprise, shooting burning arrows at the 
aerial habitation, that they may set it on fire. Sometimes, it is 
said, the bagani will climb up to the hut with their shields 
locked together above them. Then, cutting down the posts that 




THE DEVILS BRIDGE, IN WILD I.AGUNA. 



support this abode in the tree-tops, they soon bring the besieged 
to terms. The captives are then divided among the besiegers — 
the heads of the dead and of the wounded, and of all the grown 
males, are cut off, and the women and children are carried away 
captives. 

Such is the interior of Mindanao; and from this description it 
can readily be seen how ineffective has been the Spanish occupa- 
tion of that island. 



The Mohammedans of Sulu. 115 

In 1877 a protocol was signed by England and Germany- 
recognizing Spain's rights to the Tawi-Tawi group and the chain 
of islands from Sulu to Borneo. 

In 1885 the heir to the Sultanate, having failed to appear in 
Manila, where he had been cited to receive his investiture at the 
hands of the Governor-General, as had for some years been the 
custom, another chief, Datto Harun, was selected by the Spanish 
Government to take his place. He took the oath of allegiance to 
the King of Spain, and was supported in his office. Two years 
later several chiefs found another pretext for rebellion, but they 
were finally compelled to yield their submission. Over this tri- 
fling victory the Spaniards made a great display. 

Hardly had the Mohammedan chiefs submitted, when war 
broke out afresh and Colonel Arolas was sent to the scene of the 
disturbance. He defeated the natives in several engagements, 
and, at last, a permanent peace was established. The Sulu pro- 
tectorate comprises Sulu Mindanao, and about 140 other islands ; 
many of these are uninhabited. Next to Luzon, Mindanao is the 
largest island in the Archipelago. Sulu is about 35 miles long 
and 12 miles broad. The population of Mindanao is unknown. 
Luzon contains about 125,000 Mohammedans, many of whom 
are slaves. 

SULU CUSTOMS. 

The fierce and conservative nature of the people, the peculiar 
and long-rooted feudal laws, the presence of an ancient dynasty, 
and of an ineradicable, fanatical belief, — these are a few phases 
of the complex problem to be met now. So far, the Spaniards 
have succeeded in maintaining their protectorate only by a pro- 
tracted military occupation, which, as I have said, has by no 
means been always effective. 

The Sulu Islanders dress with great taste. The women are 
fond of bright colors and love to adorn themselves with jewelry. 
They have the baggy nether dual-garment, so dear to all other 
women of their faith. Their tight-fitting bodice is usually 



ii6 



The Philippine Islands. 



covered with arabesque designs. In embroidering them they 
show great skill. For a head-covering they wear the jabul, a 
long strip of stuff, sewn like a deep narrow sack, open at the sides. 
This, if allowed to fall, would reach down to the feet ; the end, 
however, is always held under the arm. The women are usually 
very graceful, and many are also pretty. 

The men wear tight breeches, usually a scarlet, or of some 
other bright, color. On the sides are rows of shining buttons, 
that give a very dazzling effect. A buttoned waistcoat, a jacket 




A JUNGLE IN LUZON 



with close-fitting sleeves, and a turban complete a costume that 
is as picturesque as it is unique. The men are handsome and 
very robust, lithe and active. . Their complexion is a dusky 
bronze, and they have piercing black eyes. Their forehead is 
low, and their black hair falls in glossy waves upon the neck. 
Though brave and daring to an extraordinary degree, they are 



The Mohammedans of Sulu. 117 

conservative and cautious — no less quick in mind than agile in 
bod)^ and always sober and self-contained. The)' are extremely 
suspicious, and as merciless when angry as they are obstinate 
and vindictive. They are far more artistic than their Christian 
neighbors in the north. Their coats of mail, krises, lances, 
swords, and other weapons are of their own making. They are 
most skilful navigators, too, which accounts for their success as 
pirates. All males over sixteen years of age bear arms. The 
office of chief is hereditary. When a chief dies, the pandita, or 
priest, chants a requiem, while the attendants beat a hollow 
piece of wood that serves as a gong. The neighbors rush in, 
and shout and stamp their feet while the body is sprinkled 
with salt. A successor is then proclaimed. The panditas have 
great power over their flocks, inciting them to frequent fasts 
and to furious flagellations. Many and varied are the cere- 
monials of their belief. 

The Spanish Government derives no taxes from the Sulu 
Protectorate, but gives the Sultan a pension of $2,400 a year. 
The Sultan is called the Stainless One, and is the chief of both 
Church and State. He is an irresponsible despot, and the head 
of the feudal system. The Sultanate is hereditary under the Salic 
law. The Sultan has his Advisory Council and his Ministers. 
He lives in considerable state in the centre of the new capital, 
Maybun, in a large well-constructed palace of wood. 

The roomy vestibule is always lined with an abundant display of 
indigenous plants and shrubs, dazzling to the eye and intoxicating 
to the senses. It is, indeed, as if the entire tropic realm had been 
ravished of its richest, rarest, and most gorgeous specimens of 
plant-life to glorify this spacious entrance-way. From there on to 
the throne-room is of but little interest. 

Of course, letters, despatches, or verbal requests of foreigners 
have all to be transmitted through the official interpreter, servants 
meanwhile flitting about, in the gayest and most ludicrous costumes, 
offering betel-nut to each and everyone, — to the bevy of Sultanas 
and to foreign guests, all seated on silken and highly embroidered 
cushions scattered on the floor. 



Ii8 The Philippine Islands. 

In the town of Maybun there is nothing to be seen of any note, 
but the country round about is magnificent. 

Slavery exists by birth and conquest. Rice, Indian corn, sugar- 
cane, indigo, and coffee are the common products of the 
Sultanate. The chief export is pearls, for which the natives dive 
often a hundred feet. They frequently attack sharks, which they 
fight with the deadly kris, never failing to come off victors. 





Manila. 

THE OLD CITY. 

MANILA, the capital of the PhiUppines, is situated on the 
island of Luzon, at the mouth, and on the left bank, of the 
river Pasig. It is in N. lat. 14° 36', by E. long., 20° 57'. 
The city was founded in 1571. The present fortifications and 
the walls and battlements of the old city were built by Chinese 
labor in 1590, in the time of Governor-General Gomez Perez 
Dasmarinas. The walls are 2% miles long and are mounted 
with old and useless cannon. These, however, were quite for- 
midable in the early days of the colony, and did great service 
against the successive invaders that threatened its peace and 
safety. 

The old city is almost surrounded by water. On the north is 
the Pasig ; on the west the sea ; while moats flank the other two 
sides. These moats are connected with the river by sluices ; 
but they are sadly in need of repair, and are filled with stagnant 
water and putrid matter, — a continual menace to the health of 
the city. 

Until 1852 the drawbridge, connecting the old city with the 
new, was raised at night and the city closed, presenting the 
curious fact of a feudal Spanish city in the heart of the tropics. 
In the citadel are the Government offices ; also the Post, Tele- 
graph, and Custom offices, various convents and colleges, an 

119 



I20 The Philippine Islands. 

Artillery depot, the Cathedral, and eleven other churches. This 
part of the city presents a dilapidated and mediaeval appearance. 
The dull, narrow streets have a sombre, monastic aspect ; and 
one, therefore, is not surprised to find that the gloomy supersti- 
tions of the 15th century hold Cimmerian sway here, undisturbed 
by the dawn of Science. It seems the fit capital of a despotism, 
a suitable home for tyranny and priestcraft. 

Manila Bay is thirty miles from north to south, and about 
twenty-five miles wide. On each side the entrance are steep 
volcanic mountains. Ten miles from Manila, near the entrance 
of the bay, lies Cavite, which contains about 5,000 people. 
Here also is the arsenal, a patent slip, and a garrison of 500 men. 
In the channel lies the island of Corregidor, 640 feet high, and 
just beyond, the island of Caballo, 420 feet high, both fortified. 
On each island stands a lighthouse. Other fortified points are 
San Jose and Tibonis. 

Manila, however, is, like Batavia and Calcutta, a great trade- 
centre. But I must leave the old city to find any signs of life 
and progress. 

BINONDO AND THE SUBURBS. 

Binondo, on the northern shore of the Pasig, and opposite the 
old city, is the business quarter. Here are the large tobacco- 
factories, which employ about 10,000 men, women, and children. 
One factory alone, indeed, employs 2,000. The Manila wrappers 
and Manila cheroots and cigars are famed the world over. The 
employees in these factories earn on an average about 15 cents, 
a day. With this they are able to live very well ; for food is 
cheap, and rent is even cheaper. Most of the boys and men in 
these factories wear only a thin pair of trousers, being naked 
from the waist up. The girls also have but a slight covering. 
In the midst of every group of girls sits an old woman, who acts 
as a kind of combined overseer and chaperon. 

The main street of Binondo is the Escolta, and here are 
situated the commercial warehouses, the bazaars, and the European 



122 Manila. 

shops. In the Rosario are the Chinese shops. These are very 
small, and a dozen or naore are usually grouped together. In each, 
on the little counter, sits a Chinaman, casting accounts with the 
ancient abacus. Another stands behind the counter and acts as 
salesman ; a third is in front drumming up custom, very much 
after the manner of Moses Cohn, Baxter street. New York. 
These Chinese traders are exceedingly shrewd, and it is almost 
useless for the buyer to attempt to secure a reduction in price ; 
the}'' have a uniform scale, agreed upon by themselves. Many 
of these Chinese merchants are fabulously rich ; and all are 
prosperous and progressive, the natives and the Europeans not 
being able to compete against them. 

In the Escolta are many fine shops owned by Spaniards, 
mestizos, Germans, English, and Americans. The Escolta, in the 
daytime, presents an animated appearance : about ten thousand 
carriages pass here dail)', and a great volume of business is trans- 
acted. The commerce is yearly increasing, too. The principal 
articles of export are honey, tobacco, cigars, sugar, coffee, and 
indigo. 

The laboring class live in Tondo, another suburb. Their 
dwellings are covered with roofs of nipa thatch. The drainage 
around these huts is very bad, and under them are pools of 
stagnant water, — the cause of great mortality among the natives. 
The endemic diseases of the Islands are swamp-fever, diarrhoea, 
beri-beri, and typhoid. 

The traffic on the river along the Binondo shore is consider- 
able. The river is not navigable by the large ocean-liners; only 
by boats of light draught. 

The streets of Manila, for the most part, are badly paved and 
still more badly lighted, though some of the public gardens have 
been recently much improved in this respect. 

Beyond Binondo lies the aristocratic suburb, San Miguel, 
where live the wealthy European merchants and many of the 
Government officials. Here are many elegant and imposing 
residences. 

It is a unique sight to pass these white bungalows at night, and 



124 The Philippine Islands. 

hear the merry chatter or the sweet music of the happ}^ people 
on the wide, cool verandas ; men and women, boj^s and girls, 
all smoking cigarillos. For everybody smokes— from the Spanish 
grandee down to his native postilion. 

A more contented people than the Filipinos surely do not 
exist. Naturally averse to exertion, and possessing few wants, 
they accept the dispensations of Providence with a philosophic 
acquiescence not far removed from indifference. One day 
differs little from another. Upon rising, early in the morning, 
they take a cup of chocolate or coffee. At eight o'clock they 
partake of a light breakfast, consisting of two or three dishes and 
a dessert. The head of the family then goes to his work, the 
women, meanwhile, attending to their household duties. From 
twelve to one is tiffin — a heavy lunch, consisting of soup, fish, 
meat, dessert, and coffee, including rice and currj'. From one 
to four all enjoy the luxury of a siesta, after which, from four to 
five, they have chocolate and cakes served, exchange visits, go 
out riding, or take some other kind of recreation. Dinner is at 
eight. This is usually an elaborate meal, consisting of meats, 
fruits, and various native delicacies. After dinner, different diver- 
sions, such as music and dancing, make the evening an agree- 
able one. About eleven o'clock, the entire family goes to 
bed. 

" Bed " consists of a fine mat, and one narrow and one long 
pillow. There are no sheets. Both men and women sleep in 
their stockings and pajamas. Mosquito curtains are, of course, a 
necessity. 

All this, of course, applies to the better class of natives, whose 
residences are often fine and commodious. Very few houses are 
more than one story above the ground floor. If so, the extra story 
is uninhabited or serves as a sleeping-place for the servants, or as a 
coach-house. The roofs are usually of tin or iron, which makes 
them extremely hot in summer. For this reason many houses 
are also covered with a thin layer of nipa-palm, which is cooler. 
The ground-story is usually of stone or brick ; the upper of 
wood, with sliding windows of opaque sea-shells. The bath- 



Manila. 125 

house is really the greatest personal necessity in Manila. For 
a daily bath is almost indispensable to health and comfort. 



EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 

Most of the educational institutions of the colony are in Manila, 
where the Department of Education has its headquarters. Many 
of the native graduates of the various colleges go into the profes- 
sions ; many of the poorer kind into teaching. The village 




"HOME, SWEET HOME," AS THE FILIPINO KNOWS IT. 

schoolmaster receives, on an average, about 180 dollars a year, 
and out of even this miserable stipend he has to pay his own 
expenses to and from the city once every month, to receive his 
salary. Thus, it can readily be surmised that the cause of public 
education is not in as prosperous a condition as it might be. The 



126 The Philippine Islands. 

children of the wealthy are sometimes sent abroad— to Spain, 
France, or England— to be educated. I myself went to St. John's 
College, London, and, afterward, to Pension Roulet, Neuchatel, 
Switzerland. 

The Royal and Pontifical University of St. Thomas, in Manila, 
is maintained by the Dominicans. It has schools of theology 



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BALCONY OF MANILA JOCKEY CLUB, OVERLOOKING PANDACAN. 



and church law, jurisprudence, notarial law, medicine, and 
pharmacy. In the undergraduate department are 40 free schol- 
arships for Spanish boys. 

The college of San Jose gives instruction in medicine and 
pharmacy. The Dominican college of San Juan de Letran is 
justly celebrated for its excellent equipment, and for its fine mu- 
seums of history and of the arts. It is attended exclusively by 
the sons of the natives. 

The Cambobong Orphan Asylum, under the care of the Augus- 



Manila. 127 

tinians, furnishes elementary instruction, and is a preparatory- 
school for the University. It also teaches book-keeping, and 
provides a good business education. 

The Mandaloya Asylum, of the same order and of the same 
grade, is for girls, and teaches the proper performance of house- 
hold duties and the various feminine accomplishments. 

Poor and demented children find shelter in the St. Joseph's 
Home ; while the Hospital of San Juan de Dios, founded in 
1595, is open to all. This institution has two chaplains, one 
head nurse, six physicians, eight resident medical students, one 
pharmaceutist, and a corps of trained nurses. 

The Hospital of San Lazaro is for lepers. It was founded in 
1578 b}' the Franciscans, under rather peculiar and not uninter- 
esting circumstances. The Emperor of Japan, full of resent- 
ment at the attempts of the Spaniards to convert his subjects to 
Christianity, sent the infant colony a ship-load of lepers with 
his compliments, saying, sarcastically, that he had no doubt but 
that the good brethren to whose care he felt called upon to send 
these useless subjects of his kingdom, would, in their exceeding 
love for souls, receive them most gratefully. 

The Spaniards, however, needless to sa)^ were by no means 
delighted, and were at first inclined to send the lepers back. 
Pity and Christian feeling, however, at last prevailed, and this 
hospital was built to receive them. 

One of the most important organizations is the Chamber of 
Commerce. There are also several good banks and a savings 
bank. Under the Department of Charity and Health are several 
subordinate boards, all conducive to public improvement. 

The Royal Polytechnic Society has for its object the promotion 
of the arts and the sciences. The Musical Society, the Spanish 
Casino, the Manila Club, the German Casino, the Gun, Jockey, 
Lawn-tennis and Bicycle clubs are highly successful social 
organizations. At Santa Mesa, on the outskirts of the city, is a 
race-course, which in the spring is very popular. 

The mint is only for the striking of subsidiary coins. It has 
been in operation but a few years. 



128 



The Philippine Islands. 



There are six daily papers : El Diario de Manila, and La 
Oceania Espanola, both issued in the morning. The evening 
papers are: El Coinercio, La Voz de Espafia, El Espanol, and El 
Notice ro. 

Tramways of a very primitive kind run in the principal streets. 
There are also electric lights in the public parks, along the 
Luneta, and in the finest business houses. A telephone system 
extends throughout the city, and there is a railway — the only 




THE NACTAJAN MESS : MANILA JOCKEY CLUB. 



one in the province— to Dagupan. It is a single track, and 
is 123 miles long. It was opened to traffic November 23, 1892. 
An Englishman has secured the contract, and English engines 
are used, whose speed is 45 miles an hour. This road has paid 
more than ten per cent, to the shareholders. There is also a 
steam road to Dagupan. Another branch railroad is under con- 



Manila. 129 

struction by the Government. Manila being on low peat-ground, — 
considerably lower in fact than the lake of Laguna, whose over- 
flow forms the Pasig river,— in the wet season it seems an Oriental 
Venice; for the numerous creeks and canals that intersect the 
city and its suburbs are then flooded with water and thronged 
with native boats. Drinking-water is carried to the city through 
pipes from Santolan, on the river Pasig. Fountains are also 
distributed at convenient places throughout the city, to which the 
poorer people have access. 

A new harbor is now under construction. For the payment 
of it special dues have from time to time been imposed upon the 
trade of the port : 2 per cent on imports, i per cent, on exports, 
a tonnage tax, and a duty on fishing-boats. 

There are several theatres in Manila, but they are very inferior. 
The opera is very popular, and is well supported. Foreign celeb- 
rities sometimes visit Manila, when the audiences are most 
enthusiastic and whole scenes are encored. In the theatre every 
one smokes, from the fashionable ladies and gentlemen in full dress, 
to the half-naked gallery-gods in the loft. Between the acts pretty 
mestiza flower-girls pass to and fro offering their fragrant wares to 
the onlookers. A theatre-night in Manila is one of .unrestrained 
gayety — and the fun-loving Filipinos rarely miss an opportunity 
to attend a show. In the Palacio Square is a statue of Charles 
IV., and in front of the Variedades is one of Queen Isabella. 

THE CATHEDRAL AND THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S PALACE. 

The churches are well worthy of a visit, being picturesque and 
interesting. The Cathedral was founded in 1570, and has several 
times been destroyed by earthquakes. The new Cathedral, on 
the site of the old, which was destroyed by the earthquake of 
1880, cost a half-million dollars. It is an immense structure of 
brick and stone and is the most imposing building in the colony. 
It is in old Manila, and is celebrated for the splendor of its 
interior decorations and its gorgeous altars. Here start and end 
most of the great religious processions for which Manila is so 



I30 



The Philippine Islands. 



noted. The cost of maintaining the Cathedral, including the salaries 
of the officiating priests, is not far from $60,000 per annum. 

The Church of San Francisco — also in old Manila — is the oldest 
church in Manila. It is under the patronage of the Franciscans and 
is very wealthy. The magnificence of its interior is unrivalled. 

The Governor-General's Palace is in Malacanan, a suburb of 
new Manila. It is a low massive structure and occupies an 



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CHURCH OF SAN 'FRANCISCO, AND THE OLD CITY WALLS. 

immense area. It is in the midst of a large garden— a veritable 
Paradise. It is on the bank of the' river Pasig, in a healthful 
locality, and commands a fine view of the city and the river. 
The garden is famed for its luxuriance. Here grow, in rich 
profusion, cocoanuts, bananas, lemons, mangoes, and a wealth of 
flowers : the white champaca, the yellow ilang-ilang with its 
exquisite perfume, gigantic orchids, and a thousand other blooms. 
Among the trees and shrubbery of this gorgeous Eden, wind 
broad garden paths paved with sea-shells. 



Manila. ' 131 

Facing the river is a large balcony from which the Governor 
views the yearly boat-race that takes place on the birthday of the 
King. This boat-race is one of the great events of the year and 
is usually rowed by native champions. 

The interior of the Palace is of unusual splendor, and there is 
evidence on every hand of great pomp and ceremony. A host 
of liveried servants and numerous guards in showy uniforms are 
everywhere apparent. There is an excellent library and a spacious 
ball-room, where receptions are held, to which, several times a 
year, the elite of the city and distinguished visitors are invited. 

The Governor rides in a carriage drawn by four horses, with 
several outriders, who, by means of a shrill whistle, announce his 
approach. All streets are instantly cleared and traffic suddenly 
ceases, every one standing still to make respectful obeisance. 
On, on, they come, the dashing four, with the postilions in 
scarlet jackets. The Governor, dressed in civilian's dress, sits 
within — the picture of dignity. He bows right and left, in that 
perfunctory way characteristic of public dignitaries the world 
over, and the carriage passes on, while the citizens resume their 
wonted demeanor and avocations. 

The Jesuits support and manage a fine observatory. And there 
is a large botanical garden, now neglected ; but it could easily be 
made the finest in the world. The English Club, in the suburbs, is 
noted for its hospitality and for the delightful personality of its 
members. Most of the hotels are bad, with poor accommodations. 
The Hotel de Oriente, however, is a noteworthy exception. 

The police of the city are natives, and are under military 
discipline. The department of police is known as the Municipal 
Guard. From 10 o'clock at night until 5 o'clock in the morning 
night-watchmen patrol the city. 

One is struck by the number of carriages in the thoroughfares, 
drawn by pretty ponies of mixed Chinese and Andalusian breed. 
There are also many hacks to hire. The drivers, too, are as civil 
in address as they are moderate in their charges. There 
are three days in the year when the ponies are given absolute 
rest. These are Holy Wednesday, Thursday', and Good Fri- 



Manila. 



t33 



day, — when no traffic is permitted, onW the Archbishop and the 
doctors being allowed to ride in carriages. On these days the 
church-bells are muffled, and the 
people, dressed in sombre black, 
walk solemnly in the various re- 
ligious processions. A vast con- 
course assembles in the several 
squares to await the toll that shall 
announce the end of the fast and 
of this enforced abstinence from 
labor and worldly care. As soon 
as the first stroke is given, there is a 
mighty rush in every direction, a 
thousand ponies are trotted through 
the streets, ten thousand natives re- 
new their daily traffic with clamorous 
zeal, which shows how feeble was 
the bond that kept them under re- 
straint. 

On the streets of the city are many 
wayside native restaurants. Here 
the employees of the huge tobacco 
factories come at noon for their 
"quick lunch" or for a refreshing 
drink. Most of these establishments 
are very primitive, and little more 
than rice, fruit, or meat is for sale. 
The charges are the merest pittance. 
For two cents a sumptuous meal can 
be had. It may, therefore, be under- 
stood that few people in Manila go 
hungry. 

The water-girls or the peddlers . 
of milk or cocoa are also worthy 
of mention ; inasmuch as they, with their rude jars, have a 
most Oriental look. One, too, is likely, almost any time, to 




A WATER-GIRL. 



134 The Philippine Islands. 

encounter a religious procession, such as The Feast of the 
Twelve Apostles, or The Feast of Corpus Christi, when the com- 
panies of friars, in their long robes of black, blue, white, or brown, 
alternate with long lines of solemn natives dressed in their sombre 
clothes. There are, in fact, forty holidays in the year, and, as 
each of these is distinguished by some feast or religious cere- 
monial, it can readily be seen how large an influence the Church 
has upon the people. The Archbishop is a greater man than the 
Governor-General, and as he passes through the streets in his 
carriage drawn by four white horses, every head is bared. There 
are 4,000 priests in Manila alone. 

An execution in Manila is an interesting, though a gruesome, 
sight. The populace always flock to see one, and the condemned, 
with the stoicism natural to their race, as a rule seem perfectly in- 
different to their fate. The garrote is the instrument usually em- 
ployed. There is the pomp and ceremony incident to all Spanish 
functions of State : a procession of soldiers, a solemn death-cart, 
draped in mourning, on which sits the culprit apparently enjoy- 
ing his last ride, two or three priests chanting a dolorous refrain, 
and the executioner, — all slowly approach the place of execu- 
tion. Here is a raised platform, on which is a rude seat ; against 
the back of it is an upright post. To this the condemned is 
firmly bound, and the deadly brass collar — the garrote — that is 
attached thereto, closes with a click around his neck. The exe- 
cutioner now takes his place behind, the priests elevate the cru- 
cifix and continue their chant, while the victim, half-bewildered, 
smiles a last farewell or mumbles a hasty prayer. The com- 
manding officer gives the signal ; the executioner gives a twist to 
the screw, that just touches the base of the prisoner's brain ; there 
is a convulsive shiver and a groan, and all is over. And the 
spectators, laughing and chattering, turn homeward. 

But no street scene is more interesting than a native funeral. 
The hearse is a rude wagon, drawn by white horses. A most 
melancholy-looking person is the driver, who, clad in black and 
a high beaver hat, sits aloft in mournful dignity. In front is 
a brass band, playing a lively march, while a long line of carriages 



Manila. 



135 



follow slowly behind. On account of the heat, the burial is nearly 
always on the same day as the death. The bodies of the well-to- 
do are usually deposited in a vault in the church as long as the 
relatives of the deceased pay the priests w^ell for the privilege. 
When this tribute ceases, the remains are dumped without cere- 




THF OARROTR : MANILA MKTHOD OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. 

mony into a huge pit at the back of the church, where perhaps 
are the bones of a thousand others. The pit, it is safe to say, is 
the ultimate destiny of all. 

Bull-fights have never made the headway in the Philippines that 
they have in Cuba. In the suburb of Paco is a bull-ring; but it is 
not attended by the better classes, and it offers but a sorry spectacle. 



136 



The Philippine Islands. 



THE BEAUTIFUL LUNETA : THE SEA-BOULEVARD. 

There are many drives and promenades in the city of Manila. 
The principal one, and the most celebrated, is the Luneta, which 
lis by the old sea-wall. Here in the cool summer evening is 
stationed the Governor's fine military band, and all Manila comes 
out to see and to be seen. Thousands of people, natives and 
foreigners, pair in careless promenade. Here comes a group of 
English Jack Tars, from some British Man-of-War in the harbor. 
The sailors are flirting vigorously with a number of bewitching 
mestiza-girls, just behind. These olive-cheeked damsels, whose 




THE BEAUTIFUL LUNETA. 



long raven hair, red lips, and pearly teeth are cunningly displayed 
in daring coquetry, are all laughing merrily, smoking betimes 
a dainty cigarette. Here comes a whole native-family, troop- 
ing along with almost stolid demeanor, yet listening keenly to 
the stirring music. And then follow Chinamen, in their na- 
tional dress. Englishmen in white drill, and Spaniards in Euro- 
pean costume, — all walking with the leisurelv manner of the 
tropics, as if to the climate born. And so thousands pass by, 



Manila. 137 

bowing and smiling, with never one careworn face in the vast 
throng. 

Here, too, were enacted some of the most horrible tragedies 
in the recent rebellion. Hundreds of native prisoners were here 
executed. And such an execution was made occasion of great 
rejoicing. The fashionable Spanish element, men and women, 
was not wanting to witness it ; and while the band discoursed a 
lively air, the poor fellows were made to stand on the sea-wall, 
facing the sea ; at a given signal the firing-squad discharged a volley, 
and they fell dead or mortally wounded, while the onlookers 
cheered for tj^anny and Spain. 

Though Manila lies very low, it is by no means unhealthy. 
It is a pleasant city to live in, but not nearly so pleasant as it 
might be made to be. The climate is thus described by an old 
Spanish proverb : " Six months of dust ; six months of mud ; 
six months of everything." The spring months are December, 
January, and February ; the climate then is most agreeable. In 
March, April, and May the heat is very oppressive. In June, * 
July, August, and September occur heavy rains. October and 
November are either wet or dry. The population of Manila is 
not far from 300,000, of which 70 per cent, are pure natives, 15 
per cent. Chinese, 14 per cent, mestizo Chinos, and one per 
cent. Europeans and Creoles. 




Other Important Cities and Towns. 



ILOILO, CAPITAL OF THE PROVINCE OF PANAY. 

IN the province of Iloilo, in the southern part of the island of 
Panay, is the town of Iloilo. It is on the sea, and is built on a 
low, marshy plain. Iloilo is the capital of the province in which 
it is situated, and it is also one of the principal sea-ports of the 
colony. The harbor is excellent, being well-protected by the 
island of Guimaras, which lies just beyond. This island is much 
higher than the mainland, with which it forms a kind of funnel, 
so that there is a constant breeze, which makes Iloilo much cooler 
and healthier than Manila. During the spring-tides the whole 
town is covered with water. 

Iloilo is a manufacturing town. Its principal product is pifia,, 
a fine cloth made from the fibre of the pineapple-leaf. Jusi — 
another fabric made from silk and woven into various colors — 
is also manufactured here. 

The country around the town is very fertile, and is extensively 
cultivated. The facilities for transportation to and from the in- 
terior of the island are very poor. This, of course, is a great bar 
to the development of the commerce. However, over 1,000,000 
piculs of sugar are raised around Iloilo ; also a great amount of 
tobacco ; much rice, too, is raised here. The town is doubt- 
less destined to become a great commercial centre. It is about 
250 miles from Manila. Tvphoons are not uncommon, though. 
138 



Other Important Cities and Towns. 



139 



earthquakes are infrequent. Most of the traders are Chinese 
Mestizos. Some of them are very wealthy. 

The port of Iloilo is of recent date, its opening being wholly due 
to foreigners. The produce shipped from there comes mostly in 
American sailing vessels to the United States. Iloilo has become 
the shipping centre for the crops of sugar and sapan-wood of the 




AT THE Port of iloilo. 



islands of Negros and Panay, and the opening up of this port has 
greatly encouraged agriculture in the Visayas district. Manila is 
too far away. The Iloilo district includes the large islands of 
Panay, Negros, Cebu, and others, and has a second port of rising 
importance, Cebu, on the island of that name. 

Cavite is a fortified town, on a small peninsula, in the bay of 
Manila, about ten miles from the capital. To it a steamboat runs 



140 



The Philippine Islands. 



twice daily. The Government arsenal and the only shipyard in 
the colony are located here, and it is, therefore, the chief naval 
, station in the islands. Cavite is also the residence of most of the 
Spanish naval officers and of many foreigners : their handsome bun- 
galows are on the outskirts of the town. Some fine shops, a theatre, 
a few cafe's, and the old Cathedral are the most notew^orthy objects 
of interest in the town itself. The Cathedral is large and imposing, 
and its architecture is characteristic of most of the churches of the 
colony. The houses in Cavite were formerly of wood, but since a 




INTERIOR OF A HOUSE DESTROYED BY AN EARTHQUAKE. 



fire, in 1754, which destroyed the town, most of them are built of 
stone or brick. But even this did not save the town ; for the 
earthquake of 1880 again laid it waste. 

Cavite was taken by the British in 1763, and has always been 
deemed the key to the capital. It w^as the seat of the rebellion of 
1872, when the rebels seized and plundered the arsenal. This 



Other Important Cities and Towns. 141 

insurrection, however, was put down, and the leaders executed or 
deported.' Cavite, on account of its strategic value, was the tirst 
place taken by Admiral Dewey after the battle. As elsewhere 
described, it then became the headquarters for Aguinaldo and the 
insurgents. Under a humane and an advanced government of the 
islands, Cavite should become a large city. 

Majajay is a picturesque mountain-town, in Luzon ; it contains 
several fine streets and many charming residences. The church 
and the convent are striking; the scenery in the vicinity is magnifi- 
cent. The waterfall of Botocan is well worth a visit. It is about 
600 feet high, and 60 feet wide. The view is impressive. 

Lugbang, near Majajay, is a thousand feet higher. Around it 
are extensive rice-fields. In the town are several fine canals, some 
good streets, and many commodious residences. A stone church 
and a convent front the little plaza. On the other side is the 
Tribunal, an imposing government building. 

Tayabas is the capital of Tayabas province. In some of the 
streets are canals. Besides the houses of the wealthy planters, 
there are the usual church and convent. In the vicinity of Tayabas 
are extensive timber-yards. 

Laguimanoc, a small town on the coast of Luzon, is also a port. 
The mail steamers stop there. The chief trade is in building-tim- 
ber ; for around the town are magnificent forests. The harbor is 
an excellent one, and, with increase of trade, the place should have 
a great future. 

Lipa is the capital of the Batangas province, Luzon. It is a 
centre of the coffee-trade. Besides, the temperature there is 
cooler than that of most of the Philippine towns. It is noted for 
its large church and its convent — among the most remarkable in the 
colony. Most of the houses are three stories high, and many 
wealthy planters live in the vicinity. 

Taal is one of the principal towns of Luzon. It is situated on a 
hill upon the left bank of the Pansipit river. On the opposite side 
is the town of Lemeri. A bridge connects the two. 

Taal was formerly on the shore of the Lake of Taal, near the 
volcano, but the old town was destroyed by the earthquake of 1754. 



142 



The Philippine Islands. 



The new town is hilly, and is surrounded by sugar-cane plantations 
and great forests. The streets are lined with modern shops and 
spacious residences. Many of the inhabitants are of Japanese 
origin ; but the Chinese, strange to say, are not tolerated. As there 
is considerable trade in sugar, in coffee, and cotton stufts, trading- 
steamers ply between Taal and Manila. The population of the 
town and its suburbs is about 50,000. 

Batangas, another town in Luzon, is the capital of the province 
of that name. It is near the sea, and is the residence of the 
Governor and the other chief officials of the province. There is a 




OPEN-AIR VIEW OF AN EARTHQUAKE'S VIOLENCE. 



beautiful park in the centre of the town, and a fine drive, where the 
European residents are wont to meet. In and around the town 
are many pretty bungalows and some large sugar-factories. 

Santa Cruz de Malabon is a town in the rice-district of Luzon. 
It is a charming little place, and some wealth}' natives live there. 
Near the town are several water-power rice-husking mills, that give 



Other Important Cities and Towns. 143 

employment to hundreds of natives. The countrj' all around is 
low and flat, but not lacking in beauty. 

Silan is also in Luzon, and is a good-sized town. It is noted for 
its religious feasts and fairs. The church and the convent are 
celebrated, and are among the handsomest in the colony. 

Carmona, Perez Dasmiriiias, and Vinan, are flourishing towns in 
the vicinity of Silan. All are well worthy of a visit. 

At the foot of the Maquiling mountain is Calamba, a market- 
town. Nearly all the land thereabouts is owned by the Domini- 
cans, who rent it to the native rice and sugar-planters. 

Below the Maquiling mountain, which is a crater, are hot springs. 
Near them is the town of Los Banos, or the Baths. These springs 
are beneficial in curing rheumatism and other ills. A hospital, 
therefore, has been erected there, which is dedicated to our Lady of 
the Holy Waters. 

Other objects of interest are a vapor bath-house and the remains 
of several large public buildings. Los Banos was once a popular 
resort, and was under the administration of the Franciscans. The 
Government, however, desiring a share of the profits, gradually, by 
onerous exactions, caused the ruin of the place. If some enter- 
prising American would get hold of it, Los Banos could be made 
a great resort. 

A few miles from Los Bafios, on the Malanin river, about 1200 
feet above the sea, is the boiling lake of Natungos. This, too, 
possesses wonderful medicinal properties. 

Santa Cruz is the capital of the Laguna province. It is a market- 
town of considerable size and importance, and contains a fine 
church and one or two impressive government buildings. The 
principal street is also called the Escolta. Santa Cruz is the 
centre of the cocoanut trade, and is a meeting -place for stock- 
dealers. 

Pagsanjan, a small old town near Santa Cruz, contains some 
elegant residences. It has, however, an air of fallen grandeur. 
And well it may ! for it was once an important place. Around it 
are extensive forests of cocoanut palms. 

Puerta is on Palauan Island, and has an excellent harbor. 



144 



Other Important Cities and Towns. 



Near it is a lighthouse and a naval station. It is a penal settle- 
ment, and is surrounded by 
large sugar-estates, worked 
by the convicts. The tov/n is 
pretty, and the suburbs are 
delightful. 

The principal port of Min- 
danao is Zamboanga, a small 
but interesting town. Sulu 
is the principal port of Sulu, 
and is the centre of the pearl 
trade. 

The capital of Negros is 
Bac&lod. It contains, besides 
a church and a government 
house, some handsome resi- 
dences belonging to the chief 
traders and to the govern- 
ment officials. The town is 
on the coast, but, as the water 
is very shallow, steamers are 
obliged to anchor a half-mile 
from the shore. Bacolod is 
a good field for investors, as 
it is in the very heart of the 
sugar and rice-district of Ne- 
gros, and its trade is con- 
stantly growing. 

Mataban Talisay, S i 1 a y, 
Saravia and Victoria are rising, 
towns in the same province. 
Cadiz Nuevo, a small town 
just beyond Victoria, has 
some fine streets, and many 
large shops owned by the 
A MiLKwoMAN OF cALAMBA. irreprcssiblc Chinamen. The 




other Important Cities and Towns. 145 

new stone churcli and convent of the town are the handsomest 
on the island. In the country round about hve many wealthy 
native-planters, famed for their hospitality. 

CEBU : A MECCA FOR MANY FILIPINOS. 

Cebu is the capital of the island of Cebu, and ranks next to 
Iloilo among the ports of the Philippines. The town is well- 
constructed, and is surrounded by fine roads. The people are 
conservative, and lack thrift and enterprise. The principal ex- 
ports are hemp and sugar, most of which comes from the large 
plantations of the neighboring islands of Leyte, Camaguin, and 
Mindanao. The cathedral of Cebu is one of the most celebrated 
in the islands. It contains the shrine of the Holy Child of Cebu, 
which thousands of pilgrims visit yearly. 

GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ISLANDS. 

The Philippines, with the Sulu Protectorate, number about 600 , 
habitable islands, that lie all the way from 4° 45" to 21° X. 
latitude. 

The area of the eleven largest islands is variously computed to 
be somewhere between 55,000 and 150,000 square miles It is 
probably not far from the latter sum. All the islands together 
are about as large as the combined area of New York, Penn- 
sylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. 

The eleven largest islands are: Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, 
Panay, Negros, Palauan, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Masbate, and 
Bojol. Luzon and Mindanao are probably as large as all the 
others combined. 

All the islands are mountainous and of volcanic formation. 

Here is a list of the principal peaks : 

Halcon, (Mindoro) ..... 8,868 feet above sea. 

Apo, (Mindanao) ...... 8,804 " " " 

Mayon: active volcano, (Luzon) . . 8,283 " " " 

San Cristobal, (Luzon) ..... 7,375 " " " 



140 The Philippine Islands. 

Isarog, (Luzon) 6,z^43 feet above sea. 

Banajao " 6,097 " " " 

Labo " 5,090 " " " 

South Caraballo, (Luzon) .... 4,720 " " " 

Caraballo del Baler " . . . . 3,933 " " " 

Maquiling, (Luzon) . . . , . 3,720 " " " 

In the interior of the islands are magnificent forests of stately- 
trees, splendid with luxuriant foliage and the glorious flora of 
the tropics. Here are gigantic creepers and gorgeous festoons, — 
the splendid parasites of this opulent clime. Luscious fruits in 
rich clusters hang from pendent boughs of myriad trees, inviting 
the passer-by to pluck. 

One that has never seen it, can form no idea of the splendor 
of such a tropical forest — teeming with all that is brilliant and 
grand in nature. It would seem as if the Creator had emptied 
the cornucopia of his gifts over this garden-spot of the world, 
making it a veritable Eden. 

There are many rivers throughout the islands, — some navi- 
gable. The Pasig river, in Luzon, empties into Manila Bay. 
Vessels drawing thirteen feet of water enter the Pasig river. In 
the same island, the Rio Grande de Cagayan is also navigable 
and runs through the Cagayan valley northward. It yearly over- 
flows its banks. On them are the richest tobacco-districts in the 
colony. The Rio Grande de la Pampanga flows southward 
through the glorious valley of Pampanga, emptying by twenty 
mouths into Manila Bay. On the banks of this river are exten- 
sive rice-fields and sugar-cane plantations, and great forests ; 
among them gleam numerous towns and villages, full of a thriv- 
ing population. The Rio Agno, which flows southward, past 
the port of Dagupan and the Bicol river — which flows from 
Bato lake to the bay of San Miguel — is also in Luzon, and navi- 
gable. 

In Mindanao, the Rio Agusan cuts the island almost in two. 
It is navigable only a few miles. In Negros Island, the Danao 
is navigable. 



148 The Philippine Islands. 

The Bay lake (Luzon) — Laguna de Bay, — is 25 miles long and 
12 miles broad. It is higher than Manila, and its overflow is 
the Pasig river. 

In the centre of Bombon lake is an active volcano called 
Taal, which is no less famed in the history of the colony than 
is Vesuvius in the history of Naples. It has had many celebrated 
eruptions, some very destructive. In 1754 several towns were 
overwhelmed by a flood of burning lava, which was thrown as 
far as fifteen miles from the crater, causing great damage, even 
at that distance. It is said that cinders fell in Manila, 34 miles 
away. There was a smell of sulphur in the air for months ; the 
lake was full of dead fish ; and the earth, for miles, was heaped 
with burning lava and ashes. This eruption lasted nearly six 
months. The town of Taal was entirely destroyed, and most of 
the inhabitants perished. On that day darkness hung over the 
whole sky, and the air was full of cries and lamentations. It 
seemed as if the end of the world had come. 

The Mayon volcano, in Albay, has also had several destructive 
eruptions. Its crest is always fiery. In 1814, 2,500 natives were 
killed and wounded. During the last eruption, in 1888, fifteen 
lives were lost, and many cattle. 

Near the volcano of Mayon are the sulphur springs of Alba}', 
noted for their wonderful medicinal properties. Here, no doubt, 
some enterprising American will soon build a resort, or a sanita- 
rium. And a most splendid location indeed it would be ! 

Though in the heart of the tropics, the Philippines are by no 
means unhealthy. The year is divided into the wet and the 
dr}^ monsoons ; the west coast being dry, the eastern coast 
wet, and vice-versa. The annual rainfall is about 90 inches. 
Mosquitoes and white ants are the most troublesome pests. 
Terrific tornados are common, and earthquakes are as plentiful as 
blackberries in an Alabama cemetery. In 1875 a typhoon de- 
stroyed 4000 houses and killed about 300 people. In 1863 an 
earthquake destroyed the greater part of Manila — 3000 people 
were killed and injured. The earthquake of 1880 was also very 
destructive. 



I50 



The Philippine Islands. 



That of '63 occurred at night, and I remember it well. I was 
then a little bo}', but the horrors of that night I can never for- 
get. The earth trembled and seemed to rise and fall ; huge 
fissures opened in the ground, and dull rumblings were heard 
everywhere, while the shrieks of tens of thousands arose on every 
hand. Many were buried in the ruins of their houses. 

For weeks afterward, the people slept in the streets ; for the 
greater part of the city was destroyed. 

The earthquake of 1880 occurred while the people were at 
tiffin, or lunch. Hence the number of casualties was not so great ; 
for most of the people were able to leave their houses before they 
were shaken down. 





Natural Beauty of the Archipelago. 



A BOTANISTS PARADISE. 



THE preceding chapters give but a faint idea of the great 
wealth of plant-Hfe in the Phihppine Islands, of the richness 
and abundance of the fruits, the variety and usefulness of ^ 
the trees, the multitude of growths that add to the comfort and 
convenience of human life. Yet, after all is said, every descrip- 
tion of the plant-life there gives but an inadequate idea of the real 
luxuriance and beauty of the group, and its value from a botanical 
point of view. These rich and multitudinous islands, seated in 
the midst of a tropical sea, form, in reality, a botanist's paradise, 
a region in which an ardent naturalist might browse for years, and 
still have new treasures to find, 

I am no scientist. Indeed, I have often wished I were, when 
journeying through these lush tropical forests with their interminable 
variety of forms of plant-life ; many of them of the greatest beauty, 
some odd and bizarre in appearance, numbers of them unknown 
to science ; the whole presenting the appearance of a virgin wilder- 
ness, keeping its treasures intact for the one that can appreciate 
them. The Spaniard looks upon nature with a lazy eye, troubling 
himself little about anything that cannot be put to some immediate 
use. And he has jealously guarded the islands against alien foot- 
steps, putting annoying obstacles in the wav of all that sought to 

151 



152 



The Philippine Islands. 



explore their interior. In consequence, the Philippines may be 
said to be in a large measure unexplored, waiting for the botanist 
to discover their treasures, the poet to sing their beauties, the 
practical man to develop their resources. 

Energy and enterprise are sadly needed, and it will require the 
go-ahead American spirit to bring about the possibilities of those 
fertile tropical lands. 




THE ONCE-BEAUTIFUL BOTANICAL GARDEN'S. 



A DIADEM OF ISLAND GEMS. 



And the earth possesses no scenes more beautiful than those to 
be found in this verdant and blooming Archipelago, — from its 
northern to its southern verge, this magnificent rosary of glowing 
islands, that Nature has hung above the heaving bosom of the 
warm Pacific. Of them all, none is more beautiful than Luzon, 



Natural Beauty of the Archipelago. 153 

the largest and the richest of the whole, with its vast variet}' of 
attractive scener}-, mountain and plain, lake and stream, every- 
where rich with glossy leafage, clustered growths of bamboo and 
palm, fields of yellow cane, and verdant coffee-groves. Every- 
where is wealth of trees, clothing the mountains to their summits, 
and bordering the long green miles of ocean-shore. 

On a smaller scale, but not less beautiful than lordly Luzon, are 
the many minor islands, such as Panay, Negros, Cebu, Samar, and 
others of names that would be strange to foreign ears. Here there 
are no stretches of barren lands, no drought-stricken shores, as in 
some of the isles of tjje West, no flat and chalky fields like those 
of Barbadoes ; and even the loveliest of the Antilles must yield 
the palm of beauty to these charming isles of the eastern ocean. 
Here an abundant rainfall, an equable climate, a rich soil, and the 
warm influences of the equatorial waters combine to yield a 
luxuriant beauty and variety of scenery that must be observed to 
be appreciated. 

THE MAGNIFICENCE OF TROPICAL SCENERY. 

Tropical scenery cannot be pictured in words. It must be seen 
to be comprehended. One need not, too, go beyond the environs 
of Manila — that Venice of the East, with its labyrinth of canals 
and estuaries, — through which the tides of the broad bay daily 
ebb and flow, — and with its wealth of brilliant flowers and tropic 
verdure — to imagine oneself in a new world. Its surroundings are 
a dream of beauty. 

Take any of the roads that run outward from the city. Say, 
starting from the Malecon promenade : one passes through 
stretches of country verdant with groves of graceful bamboos, 
lofty cocoanut palms, flowing-leaved plantains, and all the won- 
derful variety and luxuriance of tropical vegetation. Upon it 
the eye gazes unsated, the leaves and flowers alike being rich 
and gorgeous in tint and form. Often have I wandered, entranced, 
up the eddying Pasig, enraptured by the beauty of its scenery and 
the charm of its coloring, viewing, also from its leafy banks 



i54 The Philippine Islands. 

the splendors of sunset skies, grand and glowing to a degree 
seldom seen in temperate zones. 

Further inland the mountain scenery never fails to charm, with 
the varied pictures presented by its forest-growth. A grotesque- 
ness of form is often assumed by the trunks and limbs of 
'tropical trees, and this, with the glossy green foliage, the rich hues 
and attractive shapes of the blossoms, the novel forms and colors 




MALECON PROMENADE, ALONG MANILA BAY. 



of the fruits, the dash and sparkle of mountain streams, here 
and there breaking into lovely cascades, all co-ordinated to the 
eye, compose a spectacle of beauty seldom excelled. 

Of all those plants, the tall and graceful bamboo ranks among 
the most beautiful. Everywhere it is found, growing in groups 
and clusters, scattered with great profusion and variety over hill 
and plain, along the streams, and around the native huts and villages. 
At the slightest breeze its fleecy tops and supple branches wave 
gracefully in the air, giving to the foliage the charm of perpetual 
motion. In addition, too, to its almost endless variety of uses, it 
has a mission beyond that of utility,— the mission of beauty, and it 



Natural Beauty of the Archipelago. 155 

may justly be viewed as one of the choicest decorations of the 
island scenery. 

The bamboo never grows monotonous. It presents forms and 
colors of wonderful attractiveness and variety, and so fully dealt 
with has it been by the brush of the painter and the pen of the 
poet, that it might well be given a fine-art gallery and a library of 
its own. 

In the depths of the forest, and along the streams, beautiful 
orchids abound ; here clustered on stately trees so dense of growth 
that the sun's rays scarcely penetrate their foliage ; there giving 
life and color to the ground, and of such odd and amazing forms, 
that one often seems looking rather upon flowering birds and 
insects than upon plants. Here and there one finds oneself amid 
the spreading roots of the balete tree (Ficus Indica), from whose 
broad buttresses rises the mighty trunk, of such girth and even 
rotundity, that the natives make cart-wheels from sections of it. 
Down from the boughs, sixty feet in air, hang the rope-like lianes, 
descending, like nature's cordage, to the ground, while to the limbs 
cling orchids and other foreign growths, until the entire great tree 
seems a botanical world in itself. 

I have passed hours wandering spellbound in the forest, or 
gazing with eyes of wonder and delight into its silent depths. 
Yes, little of the poet as I have in my make-up, I, too, have been 
taken prisoner by a beauty and a grandeur that I found it difficult 
to tear myself awa}^ from. 

And these scenes are not merely locaL Indeed, wherever one 
goes into the rural regions of the islands he finds the same amazing 
prodigality of tropic growth. There are thousands of square miles 
of dense forest within which the foot of the white man has rarely 
ever set ; thousands perhaps upon which none but the natives 
have ever gazed ; costly woods, whose value can be reckoned only 
in millions of dollars. Valuable herbs, medicinal plants, and hot 
springs abound ; and the naturalist and the economic botanist 
alike are sadly needed to open up this luxuriant land to the 
world. 



156 The Philippine Islands. 

THE PROMISE OF THE FUTURE. 

Under new control I expect to see, in the twentieth century, a new 
destiny for this noble group of islands. Whether the people be 
given their freedom under the protection and influence of the United 
States, or the islands become a direct appanage of that or of some 
other enterprising nation of the West, a turn in the tide of Philippine 
affairs can hardly fail to set in, and the possibilities of the land be 
developed to an extent undreamed of under the effete rule of Spain. 

I expect to see an invasion of this island-realm by three classes 
of modern enterprise. The scientist is sure to find his way there, 
and tell the world of the new and the strange in the animal, vege- 
table, and mineral kingdoms. With him will come the engineer, 
opening up roads right and left, laying a network of iron rails, 
where now only the buffalo-cart drags along, introducing the latest 
machinery for mining and farming-industries, and starting a hum 
of activity in every quarter of the long-slumbering land. With 
these also will enter the practical economist, in search, not of the 
new, but of the useful, prospecting the forests for plants of economic 
value, seeking for new mines of coal and iron, tracing the gold 
placer-beds up to their mother-veins, seeking everywhere for what 
the Philippines have to add to the useful productions of the world. 

These will be the twentieth century pioneers of this promising 
Archipelago, the results of their labors being exploited by the 
merchant and the manufacturer. The seas shall teem with ships 
carrying the products of the islands to foreign shores, and bringing 
back full cargoes to supply the demands of the islanders, commerce 
steadily growing in amount as civilization awakens the natives to 
the perception of new wants. 

Examples of a similar rejuvenation could easily be pointed out, 
and there is no conceivable reason why the Philippines should not 
be added to the list. These islands have been lavishly dealt with 
by nature ; they have an industrious population ; yet they have 
been allowed to remain for centuries in a semi-savage industrial 
condition ; they still await the touch of the magic hand of modern 
enterprise to arouse them from their state of decadence, and swing 
them into the tide of human progress. Under this influence pros- 



Natural Beauty of the Archipelago. 



157 



perity and activity must come to them, as it has come to other 
lands, and those long-neglected and abused islands be made to 
" bud and blossom like the rose." 

Certainty of conviction and opinion, too, leads me to affirm that, 
with sanitary arrangements 
in all the cities, with hygienic 
living, and American enter- 
prise, philanthropy, and valor 
in the islands, and free edu- 
cational facilities eventually, 
— all will manifestly increase 
the morale of the islanders 
and develop a just apprecia- 
tion of the natural beauties 
of their bounteous realm ; 
hence, what is now con- 
fusedly enjoyed and but 
vaguely beheld in nature, 
will, in a comparatively brief 
period, become simple, clear, 
sympathetic, and clearly for- 
mulated to their apprehen- 
sion. 

And all this, as well as 
many other allied benefits 
co-existent with a permanent 
Ameri.can occupation, will come with personal education, personal 
elevation ; and without lessening the labor-producing qualitj' of 
the native, or the outward physical radiation that constitutes his 
health and vigor. Health, like knowledge, will come to him in 
ever-widening circles, and Nature, in full festival — as she is during 
the greater part of the Philippine year — will also appeal to him as 
she has never appealed before. 

All this may be hazardous prophecy ; it may appear optimistic, 
aesthetic, and fanciful, but I have talked with many rude untutored 
natives, that, frankly, astonished me with the unwitting revelation 




A Ml'STlZA 1 l.liWl' l;-GIRL. 



158 



The Philippine Islands. 



of latent poetry, love of imagery, and spiritual longings in their 
nature. 

Knowing all this, and also the adaptability of the cultured native, 
hence the rosy view of the possible development of the Philippine 
Islands' native population. 

The vivid contrasts, the checkered scenery, and the pulchritudi- 
nous beaut)' of the islands would ravish the soul of the impression- 
istic painter, and inspire his brush to masterpieces. There forest 
and plain, sky and sea, unroll in unexpected beauty or marvelous 
grandeur at every turn ; until, after visiting the interior or skirting 
the shores of many islands, one has a kind of kaleidoscopic 
memory, yet none the less brilliant, perfectly formed, and orderl}'— 
each in harmonious sequence — of long lines of shadowy hills, 
majestic mountain-ranges, with forest-clad slopes verging toward 
the sea ; pretty rambling creeks and gurgling rivulets cliff-bound 
coasts, cultivated plain and rugged hill ; here and there shaded 
dells with mountain torrents roaring, unseen ; a gloriovis sunset, or 
a splendid sunrise present in the memorj^-pictures of mountain, 
sea, and plain. 





A Village Feast. 



THE MORNING CEREMONIES. 



NOTHING in the life of the people of the Philippine Islands 
is more interesting to the foreigner than the village feasts ; 
nothing is more indicative of the character of the peo- 
ple, who are exceedingly fond of ornament and display. Every 
village has its own feasts, to which all the natives in the surround- 
ing district contribute ; — in which all alike take part. 

These feasts are always of a religious character, and are en- 
couraged by the clergy, who find them not only lucrative, but 
also conducive to religious feeling. 

Come with me and visit the busy morning-scene of a fiesta in 
a populous village near the capital. As, we enter the broad road- 
way, winding with serpentine folds among the gleaming bunga- 
lows, we see everywhere signs of unusual activity ; groups of 
smiling natives, dressed in their Sunday best, hurry by, chattering 
gaily. Here comes a long line of carromatas (small carts) drawn 
by wiry ponies, driven by well-to-do native planters : with the 
lofty consciousness of worldl}' prosperity they sit erect in imper- 
turbable dignity. 

We join a passing group and follow them past the low, airy 
houses, all decorated now with gorgeous bunting and gay festoons. 
Flags and streamers flutter on every house-top ; the whole village 

159 



A Village Feast. i6i 

presents a scene of picturesque animation ; for the tropical luxuri- 
ance of the trees and the myriad flowers of gorgeous hue, form a 
brilliant background. 

We arrive at the village-green, and here stands a motley assem- 
blage, constantly reinforced by the throngs that come in by every 
path and roadway. An expression of eager anticipation is on the 
faces of all as they gaze in the direction of the little church that 
fronts the crowded court. The church is a low, massive, white 
building, with large pillars in front, that give it a semi-classic 
appearance ; it forms a curious, but not uninteresting, contrast to 
the many-gabled bungalows. 

The bells in the campanile begin to toll slowly, and from the 
midst of the crowd instantly comes a burst of glorious music. 
The village -band stationed there renders effectively an operatic 
air as the natives slowly enter the church. After all are seated, 
the priest preaches a short sermon, full of pith and of pertinent 
suggestion about the Saint whom the day commemorates. The 
audience is then dismissed with a benediction; and to the lively 
music of some composer it files leisurely out. The natives see 
nothing incongruous in the introduction of operatic music into 
divine worship. They are moved to devotion no less by the 
stirring strains of one of Sousa's military marches or a languorous 
waltz of Strauss, than by the solemn Te Deums of the Catholic 
ritual. To them all music is divine. 

We stop a few minutes to watch the cura, — the parish priest, — 
as he dispenses blessings to his devout parishioners, who now 
crowd round him with every appearance of reverential affection. 

Our friend the cura is a veritable father to his people. As he 
listens to the ingenuous confidences of his flock, his face beams 
with that rare benevolence born of godliness ; there is a whisper 
of domestic sorrow that he needs must hear, a story of happiness 
or a tale of wrong. For each and all he has a word of kindly 
affection, and as he sees us waiting near the entrance, he ap- 
proaches with outstretched hand and invites us to the grand 
procession in the evening. 

The people have dispersed, and have returned to their homes. 



A Village Feast. 163 

Already the sun is high in the sky, pouring a deluge of heat 
upon the landscape. From the horizon, mountain after mountain 
springs airily into the heavens, their blue peaks suggesting a place 
of perpetual coolness, upon which the eye loves to linger amid 
the oppressive blaze of the tropic sun. 

Surrounding the village are forests of majestic trees, of inde- 
scribable grandeur, and of unparalleled magnificence. Among 
these the white houses of the planters nestle peacefully. 

Each house has its own tiny garden, fenced in with reeds, and 
forms a miniature paradise, where are flowers of splendid hue, 
creepers with purple blossom_s, red-coral blooms, and trees of 
palm, mango, orange, lanzon, santol, and giant bananas, whose 
rich fruits, in giant clusters, tempt the eye of the beholder. 
Here the native is a petty king : for his own little domain, 
for nine months of the year, yields sufBcient for his wants. 
Nature, indeed, gives him a golden harvest for only the reaping. 

We haye been invited to spend the day with a well-to-do 
native planter, who, at the conclusion of the service, has sought us 
out. He lives on the outskirts of the village, and we are soon 
with him in his carromata, speeding leisurely over the highwa}-. 

We approach his home — ^a typical native dwelling ; the body of 
the house is raised about six feet from the ground, and is mounted 
on thick pieces of stone. This allows the air to circulate freely 
beneath, and prevents the entrance of snakes and insects, and is 
in every way conducive to health and comfort. We mount the 
wide stairway, that connects the house with the ground, and 
enter upon a broad open piazza facing the street, called a cahida. 
The sides of this are formed of sliding windows, composed of 
small square panes of mother-of-pearl, opaque to the heat, but 
admitting the rays of light. Here we are introduced to the vari- 
ous members of the family, who receive us kindly and offer 
sugared dainties and a cigarette. 

Beyond is a large room, with walls of window and with sliding 
doors. Here are some chairs and a table, covered with a hand- 
somely embroidered cloth. Upon the walls, which are covered 
with cloth instead of plaster, are various bric-a-brac, artistically 



A Village Feast. 165 

arranged upon scrolls ; while several engravings of religious 
subjects and one or two family portraits hang between. From 
the centre of the ceiling hangs a crystal chandelier with globes 
of colored glass ; a small oratory, supporting the brazen image 
of some Saint, stands in the corner. The broad floor-planks, 
daily scrubbed and polished with plaintain leaves, are as smooth 
and clean as a mirror. 

Opening from this main room are several smaller rooms, used 
as bedrooms. A narrow passage-way leads to the bath-room and 
to the kitchen — in a separate building. The design of the whole 
domicile seems to aim at cleanliness and coolness, — both essentials 
of comfort in this hot, moist climate. 

The roof is patched with nipa palm, and the outside walls of 
bamboo — painted white and striped with green and blue — are 
covered with grotesque carvings. This, with the broad eaves and 
the wide balconies, gives the house a most picturesque appearance. 

We note with gratification the many signs of family affection 
around us. The father, kind and considerate ; the mother, sweet 
and sympathetic ; the children, quiet, obedient, and vi^ell-behaved 
— a picture of domestic happiness that is representative rather 
than exceptional. 

HOW THE AFTERNOON IS SPENT. 

After tiffin, each retires to his own room to enjoy the siesta ; 
and thus we sleep soundly through the heavy afternoon hours. 

The siesta over, we venture into the village. Through the 
streets are hurrying scores of men, nearly every one with a cock 
under his arm. They are going to the' cock-pit. We follow, and 
soon we come to our destination. 

Imagine a large bamboo building with a thatched roof, wherein 
hundreds of natives have gathered, for, what is to them, the 
supreme enjoyment of life. Around the door are one or two 
guards in Spanish uniform ; but everything appears so decorous 
and orderly that it is indeed difficult to realize that we are in a 
gigantic gambling den. Nearly every native has with him his 



i66 



The Philippine Islands. 



fighting - cock, which he loves as devotedly as one of his own 
children, and upon which he has spent much care and interest. 
The " farmer," often a Chinaman, who has secured a license from 
the Government to run the cock-pit, stands in the middle of the 
ring, around him a group of natives excited and eager. 

Two fighting-cocks, each armed with a steel spur three or four 
inches long, are in the hands of their respective owners. Every 




COCK-KIGHTIN'G : THK SUPREME ENJOYMENT. 



eye is riveted upon the prospective contestants. The .farmer, 
or proprietor, announces that the contest is about to begin, and 
from every hand dollars rain into the ring, each person staking a 
certain amount upon his favorite. 

This done, all is breathless expectation, and at the word " Casada " 
(meaning matched), and at " Largo " (let go), the fowls are let loose. 

The fight waxes hot and furious ; the two cocks are as pugna- 
cious as bull-pups. But it is scon over ; for, at a well-directed 
thrust from the steel spur, one of the contestants lies dead. 



A Village Feast. 167 

The crier now announces tlie name of the winner, and all the 
winners come down into the middle of the ring and pick up their 
own stakes, as well as the amount won by the wager. 

Strangers often remark how unusual it is that amid so much 
confusion, and where there is apparently boundless opportunity 
for cheating, there should be so much honesty and good faith. 

However, every man is to be trusted. I have never known 
but one exception — he was instantly hacked to pieces with 
knives. There are over a hundred of these gambling pits around 
Manila. It is the natives' greatest diversion. Opposition to 
this sport would almost create a rebellion ; and so the Spanish 
Government wisely makes the best of it, pocketing almost a 
million dollars a year from the licenses. 

THE EVENING PROCESSION. 

It is night. Against the sombre gloom of the heavens twinkle 
millions of stars : they too are a part of the grand illumination 
that is to be the climax of the whole fiesta. Again the village-green 
in front of the church ! It is alive with the happy villagers, 
decked in all their finery— the men and boys in airy, colored 
shirts and white trousers, the women and girls in splendid skirts 
and brilliant chemisettes. 

All are standing bareheaded. The band is discoursing sweet 
music, and the people stand entranced. Not a sound is heard 
till the tune is ended ; then, on ever}' hand, arises a decorous 
murmur of delight. Here comes the cura. He at once proceeds 
to arrange the procession, which is the event of the feast, and to 
which the villagers have been looking forward, with joyous antici- 
pation, for many months. Mysterious groups are issuing from 
the church. These are assigned to their respective positions by 
the father, who, in this, as in all else, is the master of cere- 
monies. Let us, however, leave the crowd and move a little waj' 
up the street, where, before long, the procession is to pass. 

Over the roadway, from airy arches, gaily decorated with bunt- 
ing, are suspended Chinese lanterns. On the gateways to the 



1 68 



The Philippine Islands, 



houses, on all the fences that line the street, hang little fat-pots, 
whose pale flicker, multiplied a thousand-fold, produces a most 
romantic effect, to which the lights on the arches and the many- 
colored illuminated lamps in the windows add a subdued 
splendor. 

We have not long to wait ; for the procession has been speed- 
ily arranged, and is already making its way up the street, the 
band, at the head, playing an operatic air. 

Behind come the happy participants, two by two ; men and 
women alternating. All carry torches, whose glow throws over 




IN'TERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL, WHERE ALL PROCESSION'S BEGIN AND END. 



their grave faces a gleam of soft light, that harmonizes well with 
the nature of the occasion. 

And now comes the spangled image of some old Saint borne 
aloft on a litter ; while a murmur of applause bursts from the 
admiring onlookers. From every house rockets are shot into the 



A Village Feast. 169 

heavens, showering on the dusky night constellations of colored 
stars. 

Thus, Saint after Saint, martyr after martyr, is majestically borne 
along, till near the end of the procession appears the image of 
the Virgin, herself " decked with jewels bright and with glory 
crowned." 

Now the murmur rises to a shout of devout acclaim : the 
Queen of the festive night. Our Lady, passes on. 

Thus, through every street, winds the brilliant procession 
under the lighted arches, returning finally to the village-court, 
whence it started. Here the priest pronounces a benediction, 
and with a clash of triumphant music the participants are dis- 
missed, 

THE ENTERTAINMENT AT HOME. 

Again we accompany our host back to his hospitable mansion, 
where a generous meal has been prepared for us. We partake 
heartily of the good things . roast-pig, chicken, many kinds of 
native fruits, and rice. At the close, cigarettes are passed 
round, — both men and women smoking, — and we soon enter into 
conversation while the newer arrivals are being served. 

It is our host's grand reception night. A hundred guests have 
partaken of his bounty, and the veranda and the sitting-room 
are crowded with friends and neighbors, — invited and uninvited; 
all are equally welcome. Cigars and cigarettes are passed round, 
and now the fun begins. A girl — a wonderfully sweet and pretty 
creature — with glowing black eyes and long, loose black hair — 
advances to the centre of the room, and croons a low, plaintive 
air, reminiscent of unrequited love. She accompanies her music 
with a weird dance, impressive through its very simplicity. 
Gradually her tones grow louder and her movements quicker, 
signifying all the varying degrees of advance and refusal. Her 
supple body glides into a thousand graceful curves, each elo- 
quent of beauty. Her pale olive face becomes mantled with 
a rich crimson tide as she lashes herself into a fury of passion. 



i7o 



The Philippine Islands. 



She feigns anger, and, stamping her pretty feet, now in petulant 
disdain, now in a paroxysm of wrath, stands the incarnation of 
beautiful rage. It is a picture full of tragic power, of deep signifi- 
cance. 

She is approaching the climax of her passion. Her voice is 
sharp and shrill as it trembles with scorn or defiance. Forward 




SQUARE OF CERVANTES : FASHIONABLE QUARTER OF MANILA. 

and backward her body sways with a rhythmic swing that com- 
pels the attention of every beholder. Many, in fact, accompany 
her every motion with the sympathetic movement of uncon- 
scious imitation : their faces mirror the feelings of the dancer. 

And now a note of triumph rings out, and the singer's face 
glows with an expression of ecstasy; while, bounding forward, her 
splendid hair trailing its waves of ebony, she seems transformed, 
— the apotheosis of joy. Then slowly decreasing in volume, her 
voice sinks to a low whisper of serene content, and, blushing 
modestly at the applause, she retires to give place to others. 

Two young men and a girl now come forward, and a scene of 



A Village Feast. 171 

desperate rivalry on the part of the men, and of tantalizing 
coquetry on the part of the maiden, is enacted. This is by 
means of a series of intricate dance-movements, no less striking 
than original. A pretty tableau truly ! And one not lacking in 
sentiment and in spontaneous expression. A foreigner would be- 
lieve that these lithe young natives were in terrible earnest, and 
that they were rehearsing a passion of the heart ! Such, indeed, 
is often the case, and many a girl has, through the license of 
this dance, shown her preference. Many a youth, too, has seen 
his hopes blasted, and his rival exalted, by a dainty pirouette. 

This dance is followed by another, in which an exquisite girl 
and a fat young man take part. It is an Oriental rhapsody ; a 
sort of couchee-couchee, — very suggestive and voluptuous, accord- 
ing to Western ideas. There are wrigglings and writhings, and 
clasps and embraces ; all the sweet contortions of secret love, that 
the natives take as a matter of course, just as Europeans regard 
the waltz. 

Dance after dance follows, and it is getting late. But another 
entertainment is in store for us; and so once more we venture 
forth into the night — en route to the village-green. 

THE MORO-MORO, AND THE FIREWORKS. 

Here has been hastily erected a large booth, around which 
hundreds of natives are standing in an attitude of profound in- 
terest. A moro-moro play is going on. This is a sort of Philip- 
pine miracle-play, in which kings and queens and soldiers, and 
various persons with Biblical names, contend together. There 
is rivalry, ruin, and despair ; there is death, murder, and awful 
retribution. It is a tumultuous tragedy; in which, too, are some 
subtle and refined elements, and a kind of gross humor, repre- 
sented by the stage-fool and by the lads that take the female 
parts. There is, however, no coarseness ; not a suggestion of it. 

Love and religious persuasion and devotion mark the greatest 
number of moro-moro performances, and while some of the plan's 
are fairly good,— not judging from too lofty a standpoint, — yet, on 



172 



The Philippine Islands. 



the other hand, it is indeed amusing to note how little in this line, 
how thin a texture, pleases the people, bombast and fury, honeyed 
accents and unnecessary vicarious suffering, false and flagrant 
violations of dramatic art — all alike are viewed with breathless 
interest, and applauded, or stoically witnessed as the occasion de- 
mands. The entire play is given in the Tagal language. 

The native spectators, indeed, enter into the action of the play 




A SCENE FROM THE MORO-MORO PLAY. 



with, as it were, a grim earnest ; as if all their mental faculties 
were judging complex emotions and nice situations. 

Nothing, indeed, in the native character is more remarkable 
than its unvarying decorum. Here the happy crowd has been stand- 
ing for three hours, agape with delight, drinking in the rude 
splendors of tinsel potentates. 

Here, too, they would be willing to stand for several hours 
more ; but it is nearly midnight, and a sudden illumination 



A Village Feast. 



173 



on the other side of the square announces that the time for 
departure is almost at hand. It is seen that the villagers 
have constructed a miniature castle, now ablaze with fire- 
works. Various designs are traced by the spreading glow, and 
scores of rockets shoot into the sky, dropping a shower of bril- 
liant stars. Ever and anon, at some unusual display, a murmur 
of applause rises from the admiring throng. Entranced, they stay 
until the last rocket has been drowned in the vast ocean of 
Night. Then all leave as silently as they came, and the village 
square is soon deserted; while the lamps and lanterns are allowed 
to burn till their glow is quenched in the brightness of the 
morrow's sun. 





History of Commerce in the Philippines. 



THE SPANISH POLICY- 



COMMERCE has its two forms, the extensive and the inten- 
sive ; one that considers the world at large, and one that 

seeks to confine itself to the interests of a nation. The 
latter, before the nineteenth century, was everywhere the type 
of colonial commerce. The nations held their colonies in lead- 
ing strings ; cramped and crowded them in their natural growth, 
and so checked their development that they lost the benefit that 
ihey might have gained from a more liberal policy. Of all the 
nations, Spain pursued this short-sighted policy most rigidly. Not 
only in commerce, but in everything else, she cramped her colonies. 
Foreign trade was so sternly prohibited that, in her period of 
supremacy, she put to death any alien merchant that ventured 
into one of her ports. Her colonies were her cows ; no one 
could milk them but herself ; but she milked them so dry as to 
starve them of their natural yield. 

Spain never learned the lesson that the other nations were 
"taking to heart. In the nineteenth century her policy with her 
colonies was as illiberal as in the eighteenth. As a result, rebel- 
lions everywhere broke out ; one by one the colonies became 
free, and the countr}^ whose possessions covered more than a 
continent at the beginning of the century, held, at the end, but a 
■shred of her once-splendid dominion. Spain's treatment of the 

174 



1 76 The Philippine Islands. 

Philippine Islands in their commercial interests, forms a marked 
example of what I have previously said, and an extended account 
of this remarkable method of trade cannot fail to be of interest. 

The Philippines, at first, in 1569, were too far away to be dealt 
with directly, and were made an appanage of the intermediate 
colony of Mexico, through which they were reached and controlled. 
The method was curious. The natives were no sooner subdued 
and put under Spanish governors than they were required to pay 
roundly in taxes and tribute to the royal treasury. All this be- 
longed to the crown, but some of it had to be devoted to the 
government of the colony ; and the Spanish grandees that exiled 
themselves to that far land, took good care to pay themselves well 
for the penance. 

For many years the taxes were paid to the treasury wholly in 
colonial produce, and for many more years, partly so. This 
material was exchanged for Chinese wares, junks from the Celes- 
tial kingdom visiting the islands each spring, and bartering silks 
and diverse goods of China for the rice, hemp, and other prod- 
uce of the islands, which had been collecting during the year 
in the royal stores at Manila. 

THE TREASURE-GALLEONS. 

The method of dealing w4th the goods thus received was, to 
say the least, peculiar. They were done up each year in bales, 
always just fifteen hundred in number, and of exactly the same 
size and shape, for shipment to Mexico. From the first year 
after the formation of the colony until the year 181 1, a fixed 
process was maintained. Every year a State -galleon left Manila 
for Mexico, bearing the baled Chinese goods, which represented 
the Philippine tribute. Every year the ship returned with a 
portion of the proceeds to the starting-point, this being known 
as the Mexican subsidy. One galleon and no more. For two 
centuries, and longer, this rigid system was kept up, the com- 
merce of the islands being limited to this conveyance of tribute 
across the seas. Navidad was at first the Mexican port of call. 



History of Commerce in the Philippines. 177 

Then Acapulco was chosen, and for more than two hundred 
years the State- galleon, Naos de Acapulco, yearly came and went 
across the Pacific, carrying tribute for Spain. The ships employed 
were very different from modern commercial craft. Short of 
length, wide of beam, and light of draught, with high elevation 
in bow and stern, above water they presented something of the 
outline of a crescent moon. They were of about 1,500 tons burden, 
had four decks, and were provided with guns ; for, the waters they 
crossed were not secure from hostile craft, and Spain not infre- 
quently had the loss of one of her rich galleons to mourn. 

Thus it continued, until the rebellion in Mexico put an end to 
the traffic, the last of the treasure-galleons leaving for Mexico in 
1811. The last for Manila set sail in 1815. There were other 
reasons than the war to put an end to the old traffic. The 
expense had become too great and the profit too small. Spain's 
finances had fallen into a lamentable state, and the Naos de Aca- 
pulco was, perforce, withdrawn. Needy politicians, who knew 
little about seamanship, but much about perquisites, had forced 
themselves into the galleon, whose commander received an annual 
salary of $40,000, the chief executive officer $25,000, and the 
quartermaster nine per cent, of the cargo, the total of which 
was no small sum. 

It was an odd idea to restrict the commerce of a group of the 
richest islands of the tropic seas, to a single vessel carrying the 
annual tribute of the island. In fact, it was not quite so re- 
stricted. The tribute-cargo did not fill the ship. There was 
some space left, and the use of this was given to a few favored 
merchants, the Consulado, as the}^ were called, a trading ring, 
each member of which must have resided a certain number of 
3^ears in the Philippines, and have a fortune of at least $8,000. 
This surplus freight was regulated by the issue of boletas, — docu- 
ments that long did duty as paper money, passing from hand to 
hand. The demand for space much exceeded the supply, and 
the right to ship on the annual galleon often went to favored 
hands, merchants being set aside by churchmen, officials, and 
others with grasping palms. 



History of Commerce in the Philippines. 179 

It may be that the idea of adding to the island-trade by sup- 
plying more ships, never penetrated the thick official cuticle of 
Spain. At all events, the single galleon sailed back and forth 
year after year, until the years lengthened into centuries, and 
while other nations were sending their deeply-freighted craft to 
all the ports of the earth. It was odd and lamentable to see this 
pitiful travesty of commercial enterprise kept up until after the 
dawn of the busy nineteenth century. 

The yearly value of the official cargo sent from Manila was at 
first limited to $250,000. But such was the demand for the 
goods in Mexico, that one hundred per cent, was usually realized 
on the sales. The return-trade was not permitted to exceed the 
value of the proceeds, — $500,000, in coin or stores. In this way 
Mexican dollars, the recognized coin of the colony, made their 
way thither in large quantities. They were largely absorbed by 
China, where they were highly welcome. A certain sum was 
necessary to maintain the colony. This — the royal subsidy (Real 
Situado) — was fixed by decree from time to time, coming out of 
the proceeds of the annual tribute. 

In saying that the annual galleon conveyed all the commerce 
of the Philippines, I should have confined this statement to 
Western trade. There was some commerce with the East. 
Indian and Persian goods reached Manila in considerable 
quantities. The same was the case, as I have stated, with 
Chinese wares. But the absurd restrictions of Spain hampered 
this trade. No Spaniard was permitted to go to China to buy 
his own goods. He must wait for the Chinese junks, and 
content himself with what they chose to bring. 

The sailing of the annual galleon took place usually in July ; 
and the voyage occupied about five months. The route to be 
followed was strictly laid down, and even the vagaries of the 
winds were scarcely an excuse for deviating from it. As has 
been said, all was carefully arranged as to size and number of 
bales and weight of cargo. For a centur)^ and a half there was 
practically no competition in this trade, and everything could be 
officially regulated, even to the selling-price of the goods in the 



History of Commerce in the Philippines. i8i 

Mexican market. The departure and arrival of the galleon at 
Manila formed the great events of the year. At these single 
dates the bars of exclusion were thrown down, — goods left, and 
wealth returned to, the colony ; new faces appeared, and rejoicing 
was general. Te Dennis were chanted in the churches, musicians 
paraded the streets, filling the air with melody, and bunting by 
day and illumination by night testified to the public joy. 

Life was an easy affair with the merchants of Manila. Business 
was never a distressing occupation. One or two days in each 
week were Saint's days — to be strictly kept. While the galleon 
was away, there was little to do except to await the Chinese junks 
and prepare the bales for shipment. There was no rise or fall of 
market-price, no need of smartness, tact, or enterprise, and only 
three months in the year when active labor was needed. During 
the remaining nine months the merchants were cut off from the 
world, and enjoyed life in their quiet way, with little regard to the 
doings of mankind. 

DISASTERS TO SPANISH COMMERCE. 

Now and then, however, a change came over the spirit of their 
dreams. The seas are notoriously uncertain, and ship -captains 
appointed b}' favor are not overmuch to be trusted. Disasters 
came. Galleons went to sea and never came to port ; shattered 
bones lay on some inhospitable coast or found a grave on the 
bottom of the ocean. And as time went on, hostile ships visited 
the Pacific and made prizes of the rich galleons of Spain. Now 
the remittance from the Philippines failed to reach Mexico. 
Now the sc^^res of broad dollars sent back, vanished on the seas. 

The loss of the invincible Armada in 1588 put an end to 
Spain's naval supremacy, and the richly-freighted American 
galleons often became the prey of British buccaneers. The 
colony of the Philippines had then just been formed, and was 
not disturbed until the series of Anglo-Spanish wars before 1760, 
when its treasure-laden galleons were frequently swept away. 
This was notably the case after 1743, when Admiral Anson's 



l82 



The Philippine Islands. 



fleet infested the coast and became the terror of the Spanish 
islanders. His exploits filled Manila with consternation, and 
councils were held to devise some method of getting rid of him ; 
but he set all their efforts at naught. The captured galleon 
Pinar put a million and a half of dollars into his treasure-chest ; 




WATER-CARRIERS ASP !■ l;r I r-VlM)KI^ 



the Covadouga yielded him immense wealth. Spies upon high 
promontories watched the seas for the dreaded British ships ; the 
people of Manila were held ready to defend the city from assault ; 
every one was on the alert. 



Histor}' of Commerce in the Philippines. 183 

For each lost galleon another was sent, and in some instances 
several galleons had to be despatched in a single year. Yet there 
were three or four occasions in which no galleon reached the 
Philippines for two or three j'ears ; while, after the capture of the 
Covadouga six years passed without a ship reaching the islands. 
The effect was disastrous : coin grew scarce, misery prevailed, 
the Chinese traders broke into open rebellion. There were 
other sources of revenue besides the Mexican subsid}^, but the 
officials felt their incomes seriously straitened in these periods of 
want. 

OTHER NATIONS ENTER INTO COMPETITION. 

Spain lost not only through war, but through peace. Her 
inelastic commerce invited competition, and British, Dutch, and 
other merchants began to cut down the great profits of the 
Philippine trade. These nations sent their ships to Canton, 
established factories, and bought goods for themselves, cutting 
off the Spanish monopoly of the traffic with the East. In 1731 
foreign ships expended over $3,000,000 of Mexican coin in China 
for goods. These were smuggled into New Spain, not without 
help from Spaniards on shore. This proved a serious competi- 
tion. The old hundred-per-cent. profit was no longer to be had. 
Acapulco was so beset with smugglers, whose merchandise found 
its way clandestinely to the city of Mexico, that, at times, buyers 
could not be found for the galleon - goods except at much 
reduced rates. 

FRAUD AND SPECULATION. 

Fraud now stepped in. Goods of inferior quality were sent 
and offered at old prices. Government inspectors were ap- 
pointed at Manila to examine goods ; but they filled their own 
pockets at the expense of the public service, and the frauds 
went on. Contraband goods were taken on the State - galleon 
itself, concealed in water-jars. The misfortunes that came to the 



History of Commerce in the Philippines. 185 

Manila merchants in consequence, were due largely to their own 
fault : they had "sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind." 

There were certain public funds in Manila that offered them- 
selves to speculative uses. These — known as the Obras Pias — were 
legacies left by pious persons whose interest was to be used to 
pay for -masses for their souls. Two-thirds were to be lent at 
interest to traders, the remainder being held to cover losses. The 
Casa Misericordia was another pious fund that was lent at 40 
per cent., sinking to 20 per cent, as trade grew less profitable. In 
the end, speculative ventures made way with much of this ac- 
cumulated cash ; sorely, it may be, to the miser)^ of the poor souls 
in Purgatory, waiting to be prayed into Paradise. 

THE MERCHANTS OF CADIZ. 

A new competition with Philippine commerce came into play 
at the beginning of the eighteenth centur)^, — that of the merchants 
of Cadiz, who had grown jealous of the shipments from Manila 
to Mexico, which they claimed were injurious to the home-trade. 
Petitions were therefore sent to the King, who, in response, put 
a new curb on the scanty island-commerce, prohibiting trade 
with China in woven goods, skins, silk, and clothing, except fine 
linen. The imports from China were limited to fine linen, porce- 
lain, wax, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Six months' grace was 
given, after which all stocks of prohibited goods in Manila were 
to be burned, and all sent to Mexico to be confiscated. There 
was nothing strange in this decree. England was at that time 
practising the same restriction toward her American colonies, 
though she did not order any goods to be burned. 

ROYAL RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE. 

Decree followed decree during the ensuing years, all pointing 
to the same end. In 1720 it was decreed that in future two 
galleons might annually be sent to Mexico, but these were to be 
of only 500 tons, and their cargoes to be valued at $300,000, made 



History of Commerce in the Philippines. 187 

lip of non-prohibited goods. Ecclesiastics and foreigners were 
forbidden to have anything to do with trade. In 1726 the pro- 
hibition on silks was removed, but only one galleon was per- 
mitted to cross. A protest arose from Spain against the Philip- 
pine trade in woven goods, which was declared to be ruinous to 
the Spanish weaving industries, particularly as the galleons took 
back Mexican coin instead of Spanish goods. As a result, the 
1720 decree was restored in 1731, to the dismay of the Philip- 
pine merchants and the people of Mexico. For they had to pay 
higher prices for Spanish goods, while their coffers were drained 
to meet the Philippine deficit. 

Other Royal decrees were issued from time to time, favoring or 
injuring trade, and all with the general effect sure to arise from 
interference with the natural course of commerce. Among these 
were enactments intended to prevent Mexican capital from being 
invested in the Philippines. All was done that could be to keep 
the islands in a state of poverty and decadence. 

To mention one further example of Spanish blindness — the 
priests. Their meddling proved worse than that of the King. 
Through their influence the non-Christian Chinese were expelled 
from the islands in 1755, and with them went an industr}' that 
cause a deficit of $30,000 a year in the taxes. Trade grew 
stagnant in consequence of the loss of these active shopkeepers, 
and the Philippines experienced what Spain had experienced when 
Philip II. banished the Moorish agriculturists and artisans. In 
both cases this concession to bigotry threw the country into a 
deplorable state, and years passed before prosperity returned. 




Commerce During the Present Century. 



THE ROYAL COMPANY. 



THE closing of the Chinese shops in Manila and the expulsion 
of the Chinese merchants was the beginning of a new state 
of things in the islands. A joint-stock company was formed 
to buy clothing and staple goods for the Philippines, and sell at 30 
per cent, advance. But the Spaniards lacked the keenness at bar- 
gaining that their predecessors possessed, and the company soon 
failed. Another company followed, under the favor of the King 
of Spain, who took a large block of its shares and gave it abun- 
dant privileges and monopolies. It — the Royal Company of 
Ihe Philippines, fully organized in 1785 — was given exclusive 
rights of trade, aside from the galleon trade with Acapulco. 
Foreign ships were not allowed to bring goods from Europe to 
ihe Philippines, though they could land Chinese and Indian goods. 
There were old treaties that prohibited Spain from seeking the 
Pacific by the eastern route, her trade being via Cape Horn and 
Mexico. Charles III. quashed these treaties in favor of the 
Royal Company, whose ships were allowed to sail by way of the 
Cape of Good Hope. No one seriously objected — Spanish com- 
merce was not worth an objection. With its large capital and 
its privileges the Royal Company should have flourished. But 
188 



The Philippine Islands. 



189 



it never did. Yet it benefited the Philippines, and gave a great 
impulse to agriculture, on which large sums of money were 
expended. The culture of sugar, tobacco, cotton, indigo, and 
pepper was much de- 
veloped, and these long 
remained the staples of 
many provinces. 

^ The company had 
splendid opportunities, 
but failed to make the 
most of them. It broke 

' down the vexatious pro- 
hibition to trade with the 
East and with Spain, 
which had checked 
Philippine enterprise, 
but the dry rot of Span- 
ish incapacity caused 
its decay. Influence and 
intrigue brought men 
into the compan}^ that 
lacked ability, but re- 
ceived large salaries. 
As a result, it lost the 
power to compete with 
experts, while the con- 
traband trade ate into 
its profits, and the 
merchants of Manila 
opposed its monopolies. 
Finally, in 1830, its 
privileges were taken 
away, and the island- 
colony was opened to 
the trade of the world, 
ceased to exist. 




A MESTIZO MERCHANT. 

Five years afterward the Company 



igo The Philippine Islands. 

THE RESTRICTIONS ARE GRADUALLY ABOLISHED. 

Early in the nineteenth centurj' foreigners made their way 
past the bars of restriction. A Mr. Butler first asked the privi- 
lege of residing in Manila, and opening up trade with Europe ; but 
his humble petition was rejected as something monstrous, — an 
innovation that would put an end to the political security of the 
colony. Yet the needs of commerce forced Spain out of this 
illiberal attitude, and an American firm, Russell and Sturgis, was 
soon after admitted bj^ favor of the Governor-General. Then 
Mr. Butler came back. Many others have since followed, and 
there are, to-day, about a dozen British and as many German 
and Swiss firms in the ports of Manila, loilo, and Cebti, 
together with firms of other nations. 

The house of Russell & Sturgis was long prominent in Philip- 
pine trade. It opened up the sugar culture in the isle of Negros, 
invested a large amount of money in agriculture, and was long 
the mainspring of Philippine enterprise. But it was, in the end, 
victimized by the natives, to whom its capital had been largely 
advanced, and in 1875, to the amazement and consternation of 
the people, the great firm failed. For a time its failure paralyzed 
trade, but the minor firms it had overshadowed soon expanded, 
and business grew brisker than before. 

VEXATIOUS DUTIES ON FOREIGN IMPORTS. 

But while foreign merchants were thus forcing their way into 
the Philippines, the}' had to contend against the peculiar Span- 
ish ideas of commercial enterprise. The customs duties — at that 
time seven per cent, on goods in Spanish ships — were double 
that in foreign vessels. And the most vexatious regulations pre- 
vailed. Thus there was a sj^stem of levying tonnage-dues on 
foreign vessels in addition to duties, a cargo-ship being charged 
double the dues of one in ballast. If a ship in ballast should 
land the smallest parcel, it was at once charged the higher rate. 
And it is said that the officials sometimes bribed a sailor to carry 



ig2 The Philippine Islands. 

a small bundle on shore, to give them a pretext to make the 
higher charge. The story is told, that, one shipmaster, who had 
brought a cargo of cobble-stones to Manila, was severely fined 
because his cargo proved to be one stone short of the number on 
his manifest. 

In 1896 the collector of customs at Manila made $82,000 in 
this way, all of which went into his private purse. By exactions 
like these the Spanish officials managed to make their positions 
profitable, but they drove away trade, foreign shippers avoiding 
Manila. 

DUTIES MADE UNIFORM. 

In 1869 a Royal decree was passed, making all decrees uniform, 
abolishing export duties, and doing away with the obnoxious port- 
charges. Since then foreign trade has been less hampered by 
Spanish privilege. 

To-day subsidized Spanish steamers have most of the import 
trade, though the export trade is done mainly by foreign vessels. 
These carry cargoes to Asiatic ports, discharge them, and proceed 
in ballast to the islands. No foreigner is permitted to own a 
vessel trading between Spain and any of her colonies, or between 
one colony and another, or doing a coast-trade from island to island. 
But this law is readily evaded, by foreigners giving to Spaniards 
the nominal ownership of their vessels. In this way a large part 
of the internal trade of the Philippines has fallen into foreign 
hands. 

SPANISH OPPOSITION TO FOREIGN TRADE. 

Despite the fact that foreign trade has forced its way into the 
Philippines, every step has been gained against Spanish distrust 
and opposition. Spain is not a mercantile nation, and its com- 
mercial ideas are centuries behind the age. Only constant pres- 
sure forced the Philippine authorities into more liberal measures, 
yet the island-trade remained deplorably fettered, as compared 



Commerce During the Present Centur_y, 



193 



with general commerce. Proposed reforms, demands to intro- 
duce modern improvements, were aUke unwelcome, the Church 
especially resisting imio- 
vation. Useless and ob- 
structive formalities stood 
in the way of trade; vex- 
atious delays were made; 
and the development of 
the colony seems to have 
been the last thought in 
the Governor-General's 
mind. 

By a Royal decree, in 
1844, strangers were ex- 
cluded from the interior 
of the islands. In 1857 
old decrees were used to 
prevent foreign establish- 
ments in the colony. In 
1886 foreign trade was 
declared prejudicial to the 
" material interests of the 
country." 

TRADE WITH THE 
NATIVES. 

The conservatism and 
ignorance of the natives 
have similarly stood in the 
way of commercial pro- 
gress. They could not be 
made to understand that 

the change in quotations was not due to the caprice of buyers. 
Many of them lost by withholding goods when the quotations 
did not please them. Only in 1884, when the whole world was 




A MILKMAN' ON HIS ROUND& 



194 The Philippine Islands. 

affected by the crisis in the sugar trade, could they be made to 
perceive that quotations were quite beyond the control of the 
merchants. 

Accustomed to deal with the Chinese, the natives have no fixed 
prices for their products. The Chinese understand them, and 
put prices on their goods that will allow for a large reduction. 
In the end, the native goes away contented, though the shrewd 
Chinaman has usually the best of the bargain. Even important 
mercantile houses seldom state prices, business being conducted 
on the shifting Asiatic scale. Foreign capitalists distrust trade 
with the natives, whose word usually cannot be depended upon, 
and employ middlemen to collect produce. These are persons 
born in the colony, who understand at once the business methods 
of the foreigner and the shifty customs of the natives. And they 
generally bring the opposite parties to terms. 

The only real basis of wealth in the Philippines is the raw 
material of agriculture and the forest. Nothing has been done to 
foster the industrial arts, and the manufactures are insignificant, 
the cigar product being the principal one. 

THE DECLINE OF AMERICAN TRADE. 

From the opening of the large export trade until recently, 
Americans were supreme. But the failure of the great house of 
Russell & Sturgis made a change. Other traders rose upon their 
ruins, and of late years England has gained the bulk of the trade. 
The downfall of the Americans was completed after the outbreak 
of the Cuban troubles in 1895. The Spanish hatred of the Yankee 
was reflected in these far-oft" islands, and, by petty annoyances 
that soon became intolerable, the last American firms were crowded 
out. 

RECENT MEASURES AND STATISTICS. 

In 1 89 1 a protective tariff was laid by Spain on the trade of 
the Philippines. This diverted to the home-country most of the 
traffic formerly enjoyed' by England and other countries. Iron 



Commerce During the Present Century. 



195 



goods and hardware are now furnished principally by Germany 
and Switzerland, but the Manchester cotton goods are supple- 
mented by similar fabrics made in Barcelona. The imports from 
the United States are chiefly kerosene oil and flour. 

As an indication of the growth of Philippine trade since the 
intrusion of foreign shippers put an end to the mediaeval obstruc- 
tions of Spam, some figures may be quoted: 




A VILLAGE OF SANTA AXA 



In 1841 the imports of the islands aggregated in value $3,230,- 
000, the exports, $4,370,000. In 1885 the imports had increased 
to $19,171,468 ; the exports to $24,553,686. In 1893 the imports 
aggregated $25,500,000 ; the exports $30,000,000. These figures 
are estimated, however, in Mexican dollars, the currency of the 
islands, which is at a large discount elsewhere. 

In 1895 the principal exports of the Philippines were : Hemp, 
$14,517,000; sugar, $10,975,000; tobacco, $3,159,000; cocoa- 



196 



The Philippine Islands. 



nuts, $356,000. This fell off greatly in 1896, on account of tlie 
increased scale of export duties, hemp declining to $7,500,000, 
and sugar to $10,975,000. 

On August 21, 1897, a decree went into effect that imposed 
an extraordmary customs duty of 6 per cent, ad valorem on all 
merchandise imports, without regard to the country whence they 
came. 




A WATER-CARRIER AND CUSTOMER. 



The trade of the United States with the Philippines has been 
steadily on the decline within recent years. In 1888 their im- 
ports from the islands were valued at $10,268,278 ; in 1897, at 
$4,383,760. The export trade has always been insignificant, as 



Commerce During the Present Century. 197 

compared with European countries. In 1889 it aggregated 
$165,903 ; in 1897 it was only $94,567. During the same period 
the exports of Spain to the islands mcreased from $890,000 to 
$7,972,583. These were principally cotton fabrics. The exports 
from the United States embraced mineral oil, bread stuffs, cotton 
goods, chemicals, iron and steel goods. Of the imports, the 
most important were Manila hemp and sugar ; other imports in- 
clude cigars, tobacco, woods, hides, shells, indigo, and coffee. 

BAD RESULT OF SPANISH RULE. 

The foreign trade of the Philippines has always been subject 
to great fluctuations, owing to insecurity under the Spanish 
administration, the dissatisfaction of the native population, and 
to the frequent insurrections. These influences have stood 
seriously in the way of developing the wealth of the islands. 
Under a new and progressive administration, there seems noth- 
ing to hinder this fertUe region from becoming one of the garden 
spots of the earth. 

The possession of the Philippines, on the other hand, has not 
been a bonanza for Spain. The expenses cut so deeply into the 
revenues that only a few hundred thousand dollars were left 
yearly for the Crown. The bulk of the proceeds fell into the 
hands of the clergy and the hidalgos sent out to rob and 
misgovern the islands. In addition to the revenue to the 
King, a few Spanish noblemen receive pensions from the islands. 
Among them are the Duke of Veragua and the Marquis of 
Barboles, both descendants of Columbus, and, as such, entitled to 
the consideration of the- United States. 

The Spanish receipts were obtained from everything that could 
be taxed. In truth, the people were crowded wherever possible, 
and kept in a state of chronic irritation. This made them ready 
at any time to break into rebellion. 

As regards the expenditure of money raised by taxes and 
duties, while little came to the King, little also was spent on the 
islands. It was estimated that in 1897 $611,145 were expended 



198 



The Philippine Ishmds. 



on pubhc works. If so, the resuU was not visible in the Philip- 
pines. If a bridge was needed, the neighboring nations had to 
raise the money to build it. More money was set aside for the 
transportation of priests than for the building of railroads, while 
ten times the sum was donated to the support of the Manila 
Cathedral than was spent for new miprovements and for public 
instruction. Regarding the officials, from the Governor-General 
down to the lowest underling, they seem to have devoted them- 
selves industriously to robbing the people with one hand and the 
Government with the other, sowing a crop of hatred of the 
Spaniard and of Spanish rule, which had its harvest in the fierce 
insurrection of 1896-98. 





Agriculture: The Sugar and Rice Crops. 



AGRICULTURE— THE CHIEF INDUSTRY. 



THE land is the mainstay of tlie Piiilippines, and farming is the 
native occupation. Alanufacture is a diversion to which the 
natives do not take kindly. The only industrial art that has 
made any progress is the rolling of tobacco into cigars and cigar- 
•ettes. Many thousands of people are engaged in tliis occupa- 
tion at Manila, but, otherwise, manufacture is almost at a stand- 
still. A little cordage is made ; some straw or split - bamboo hats 
are fashioned and shipped ; in some provinces split-cane and 
Neto hats and straw mats are made. Iloilo yields a rough 
■cloth, — sinama)', made from selected hemp fibre. Piila muslin, 
made of pure pine-leaf fibre, and husi, of mixed pine-leaf and 
hemp, are fabricated. Those, with a few other articles, make up 
the native manufactured products. They do not occupy the 
attention of the people, the greater part of the population getting 
"their livelihood from the fields. 

Plantation life is the industrial unit of the islands. The soil 
is divided up into plantations, large and small, according to the 
capital and enterprise of the planter. As a rule, the planters are 
■of the Malay race, and the work of the fields is done by other 
Malays, as many as five or six hundred being employed on large 
plantations. The laborers live in little bamboo houses, the planters 

199 



Agriculture : The Sugar and Rice Crops. 201 

furnishing them both food and clothing. The food consists 
of rice and fish, — very cheap provender in the Phihppines, — and 
the clothing is of a primitive character, that costs little. Yet, 
at the end of the season, the laborer has usually exhausted his 
wages and may be in debt to the planter. 

On the other hand, though the planter holds the land, he is 
generally obliged to borrow the capital to work it. This he ob- 
tains from a middleman, who stands betvt-een him and the great 
merchants, the exporters of the island-produce. The middle- 
men are generally mestizos. They contract for the crop in advance, 
on behalf of the rich exporters, from whom they obtain the money 
lent to the planters. This capital is lent at an interest-rate of from 
ten to twelve per cent. They, in turn, lend it to the planters at 
a considerable advance, — say, twenty to thirty, and often as much 
as fifty, per cent. I have heard of even one hundred per cent, being 
demanded. Thus the planter is ground between the upper and 
nether millstone, — the exporter and the middlemen. They alone 
make any mone}^ the producer being normally in debt, as his 
laborers are likewise to him. 

THE PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS OF THE COLONY. 

The products of the islands are various, including maize, rice, 
cotton, coffee, tobacco, sugar-cane, the cocoanut, the abaca, or 
manila hemp plant, and a large number of dye-woods, medicinal, 
and other useful plants, such as ebony, sapan-wood, tamarind, 
bamboo, numerous palms, fibrous plants, etc. But I am now 
concerned only with the agricultural products, and shall therefore 
confine this chapter to a consideration of two of the more important 
— rice and sugar. 

In former 3'ears, the few that faced the obstacles to agriculture 
in an unworked country succeeded in obtaining fair returns in 
wealth from the cultivation of the main staples. But those 
palmy days exist no longer : prices have declined to one-third 
their former level, while the wages of the laborers have risen. 
The buffalo, the indispensable aid of the farmer, could then be 



202 



The Philippine Islands, 



obtained for one-fifth its present cost, on account of the limited 
demand. Trade in those days was much less than at present, 
but the native producers and traders occupied a sounder posi- 
tion, and comfort existed, where penury now prevails. 

Of late years, hundreds have gone into agriculture with much 
too little capital. They hold the land, but frequently without the 




WOMEN' EMPLOYED IN A PINA SHOP. 



deeds to show for it. Hence, their property is not negotiable, 
and they are thrown into the hands of the money-lender, who 
squeezes the life-blood from the unlucky planter. As agriculture 



Agriculture : The Sugar and Rice Crops. 203 

yields less than thirty per cent., and this or more has to be paid 
in interest on capital, the contract is likely to end in the money- 
lender getting the land. Few of the planters succeed in saving 
their estate and throwing off their load of debt. 



THE CULTIVATION OF SUGAR-CANE. 

The species of sugar-cane cultivated in the Philippines (sac- 
charum violaceum) differs from that grown in the west, but it is 
the same as that found throughout Malaysia and Polynesia gen- 
erally. The culture and manufacture are conducted in a very 
slovenly fashion, consequently the sugar produced is coarse of 
grain and poor in quality. The yield, however, is large, and 
leaves, after the demands of the islands are supplied, some 
250,000 tons annually for export. With proper cultivation this 
could be very much increased and its quality greatly improved. 

The culture of the cane extends through the islands of Negros, 
Panay, Cebu, Luzon, and, in some measure, throughout the entire 
Archipelago. The yellow variety is grown in Pampanga (Luzon), 
the purple in Panay and Negros. The price of cane-land varies 
considerably, according to its facilities for drainage, transporta- 
tion, and the like. Thus, in the province of Bulacan, adjoining 
Manila, whose soil has been exhausted by long cultivation, — the 
yield being but 20 tons per acre, — land is held at the high figure 
of $115 per acre. In the more distant province of Pampanga, 
land can be had for $75, though the yield per acre is 30 tons. 
Nueva Eciji, still farther away, and presenting difficulties of trans- 
portation, yields 35 tons to the acre, yet the land-price is little over 
$30. The development of an extensive railroad -system would 
change all this. 

The high price of land in Bulacan is due mainly to sentimental 
considerations. The cane plantations there were laid out centuries 
ago, and have been held in the same families for many generations. 
In consequence, the natives cling to them with the strength of 
hereditary affection, and will part with the family estates only for 
fancy prices. Nature has made the soil of the Philippines so won- 



Agriculturt' : The Sugar and Rice Crops. 205 

derfully rich and fertile, that artihcial fertihzers are never employed, 
the land being expected, year after year, and century after century, 
to do its duty and yield its full i-eturn. In view of these consider- 
ations, it need hardly be said that American capital and enterprise 
would make a remarkable change in the land. 

The finest sugar-cane region is the island of Negros, in the Visayja 
district. This island is about equal to Porto Rico in size. The 
culture of the cane began there about 1850, in which year the crop 
was 625 tons. Not more than half its area is cultivated, from lack 
of capital, but it now sends to the port of Iloilo over 80,000 tons of 
sugar for exportation. Uncleared sugar-land there is held at $35 
per acre, cleared land at $70, the average yield being estimated at 
40 tons per acre on new, and 30 tons on old, estates. But the latter 
give sugar of much higher grade, and need less labor in handling, 
so that there is no loss in the value of the crop. 

METHODS OF MANUFACTURING SUGAR. 

The process of manufacture differs in the north and the south. 
In Negros the cane-juice is evaporated to that point of concentra- 
tion in which the molasses is incorporated with the grain. Then 
the liquid is placed in wooden troughs of about eight by four feet 
in size, and stirred with shovels until cooled sufficiently not to form 
a solid mass. When cold, the lumps are pounded and broken up, 
and the whole is packed in grass-bags for shipment. In the north 
the process is carried further, efforts being made to get rid of the 
molasses. When the boiled mass has set, the pots containing it 
are put over pots into which the molasses drains. If left thus for 
six months, twenty per cent, of the original weight will drain off. 
The molasses is sold to distillers to make alcohol, and there is 
some demand for it to mix with water for horses. 

The Iloilo sugar generally comes to the United States, being 
shipped in the raw state, to be refined there. In Manila the manu- 
facture of sugar has been more developed, and a quantity of crystal 
grain is produced there for export to Spain. The old method of 
grinding the cane, introduced by the Chinese, consists in the use 



Agriculture : The Sugar and Rice Crops. 207 

of two rough vertical cutting mills, — cylinders of wood being used 
in the south ; of stone in the north. These are fitted with wooden 
teeth, between which the grain is crushed. Mills of this primitive 
kind are still in use in parts of the country, but are being super- 
seded by iron rollers sent from England, and, like the former, 
revolved by buffaloes. Steam mills are also being introduced. In 
Negros, where foreign influence is predominant, nearly all the mills 
are of European make. 

It maybe said, further, in this connection, that the sugar-estates 
are generally small, not a dozen in the country yielding more than 
1,000 tons of raw sugar a year. One that yields 500 tons is de- 
clared large. And the lack of transportation, too, greatly checks 
enterprise. In Negros there are no canals or railroads to the coast, 
and the annual crop needs to be painfully hauled in buffalo carts, 
to be loaded on schooners, for carriage to the port of Iloilo. Buf- 
faloes on this island, five years old, bring $30. In Luzon they can 
be bought for half that price. The wages paid to laborers average 
about one and a half dollars weekly. But, in estimating the com- 
parative comfort to be derived from this, we must consider the low 
price of food and clothing, and the primitive habits of the islanders. 

The highest table-lands are most suitable for cane-planting, good 
drainage being a necessity of the situation. The shoots are planted 
in February, and the cane is cut in the following December or 
January. In the West Indies the canes are planted widely, and the 
ratoons, or root-stocks, last from five to twenty years, sending up 
new shoots annually. In the Philippines, however, the planting is 
renewed annually, the canes being set much closer. After cutting, 
the milling should be done in ten weeks, delay causing much loss 
in sugar. The whole process of milling and planting should be 
completed by the middle of March, the remainder of the year being 
left to the growth and culture of the crop. 

THE SEVERAL SYSTEMS OF LABOR. 

In the north the co-operative principle of labor is largely em- 
ployed, each tenant being provided with the necessary buffaloes 



Agriculture : The Sugar and Rice Crops. 209 

and implements, and attending to the cane as if it were his own. 
He provides the hands for cane-crushing and sugar-making, while 
the land-owner supplies other necessaries, and has to take the risk 
of t3'phoons, droughts, locusts, and the like. The tenants receive, 
as their share, from a third to a half of the crop, according to the 
bargain made. Nevertheless, they are generally in debt to the 
owner and are looked upon as his servants. 

In the south the plantations are worked on the wage system. 
Here great vigilance is needed to keep the men properly to their 
•tasks, overseers being employed, who have an interest in the crop. 
The overseer in some instances provides his own capital, and 
receives two-thirds of the yield as his share. In 1877 a British 
company, with large capital, organized, to buy the cane-juice and 
to extract from it highly-refined sugar. Every preparation was 
made, but from the first the enterprise was a failure, and the con- 
cern wound up in 1880, the stockholders suffering severely for 
their faith. Yet fortunes have been made in Philippine sugar, and 
until 1883 the crop could usually be depended on to pay a good 
profit to the capitalist and leave something for the borrower. The 
custom introduced in Europe, in 1884, of paying subsidies to the 
beet-root cultivator, proved ruinous to the islanders, and interest 
on capital is now the only return to be looked for. 

THE RICE CROP. 

Turning now from the sugar to the rice crop, I may say that it is 
the staple food of the people, the crop upon which the very existence 
of the people depends. It is grown in ever}^ province, rice- 
cultivation being the only branch of agriculture that the people 
thoroughly understand, and into which they enter with the zest of 
evident enjoyment. Rice, a native plant of the East, has from 
time immemorial been the leading food-product of all the nations 
of Eastern Asia. The wild plant, from which all the cultivated 
varieties have been derived, is still plentiful in the marshy, tropical 
countries of southern Asia and northern Australia; while the people 
of India, China, and the islands of the ocean live very largely on 



2IO The Philippine Islands. 

this nutritive grain. It is known by as many as 1,300 different 
local names, and it is said that Bengal alone has displayed 4,000 
distinct forms of rice. These differences are in color, shape, and 
size, and may be all referred to a few well-marked varieties of 
Oryza sativa, the rice plant. In India and the Philippines rice 
in the husk is called paddy, and this word comes constantly into 
play in speaking of the cultivation of the plant. 

Formerly, rice was the main crop of the Philippines ; a consider- 
able quantity being exported. Twenty years ago Sual was an 
important port for the shipment of rice to China. It has now 
declined to an insignificant village. In fact, the extension of sugar 
culture has so reduced that of rice, that not enough is now pro- 
duced for use, and large quantities are imported from Siam, Burmah, 
and China. Pangasinan is still a large rice-growing province, but 
all its product is consumed within the country. Sugar is a much 
better-paying crop, its minimum profit being equal to the maximum 
profit on rice. Rice-planting, in fact, is not profitable, and few carry it 
on largely ; yet, inasmuch as it is necessary for the subsistence of 
the populace, some degree of attention compels its culture. 

METHODS OF RICE-CULTIVATION. 

There are over twenty different kinds of rice-paddy grown in the 
Philippines. These constitute two groups,— the highland rice, 
grown in localities where inundation cannot be used, and the 
lowland, with which inundation is easy. The latter, known as 
Macan, is of much the finer quality, the most esteemed variety 
being that of white grain. Paga, or highland rice, is in large pro- 
portion of red grain. Its return is but half that of the Macan rice, 
but only one crop of the latter can be grown annually, while usually 
three crops of Paga rice are raised. One difficulty in Paga rice- 
cultivation is the presence of a fly that sucks the flower and pre- 
vents seeding. These the planters whisk off morning and evening 
with a bunch of straw, tied to the end of a stick. 

The Macan grain is sown in June, in a plot set aside for seeding, 
and saturated with water until it is a mass of mud. Here in six 



Agriculture: The Sugar and Rice Crops. 211 

weeks the plants grow to the height of a foot. They are then pulled 
up b}' the roots and transplanted in the flooded fields, in which 
the final growth is to be attained. Around these fields banks of 
earth are raised to prevent the water from flowing off. The 
men raise and separate the plants, and the women set them out 




i.i.im; kki-:. 



again, one plant at a time, wading through the soft mud, in which 
they often sink to the knees. The process seems a tedious one, 
but I have often been surprised to see the rapidity with which the 
natives perform it. It is a process in which they are thoroughly 
trained, and at which they are remarkably quick. 



212 The Philippine Islands. 

Four months more are needed for the ripening of the grain, 
during which the fields are kept clear of weeds, the natives wading 
back and forth through the mud in their task. After cutting and 
heaping, the paddy is made into stacks. In six weeks more the 
grain is separated from the straw by treading or by the use of the 
flail, or b}f causing ponies to trot over it. It may be said that there 
is nothing in nature more beautiful than a valley of green ripening 
rice in the midst of verdant hills. In the flood of rich color 
beneath my eyes, I have gazed upon such a scene with inexpress- 
ible delight. 

PRIMITIVE MACHINES, AND IMPORTANCE OF THE RICE CROP. 

No rice-husking, winnowing or pearling-machines are in use in 
the Philippines other than some small ones for domestic use. The 
great number of kinds of rice-paddy hinders their use on a large 
scale, since the mill adapted to one field would not clean the crop 
of another. The grain is generally husked in a large hard-wood 
mortar, where it is beaten with a pestle, several men and women 
at times working over one mortar. There is also in use a primitive 
wooden mill worked by buffaloes. In this a series of pins engage 
with each other, causing a column to lift and fall, thereby serving 
as a pestle as it falls. Steam and water-power have recently 
been brought into use in some localities. 

It is said that one quinon (about seven acres) of land will yield 
from 250 to 300 cavans (about 96 pounds each) of rice, but the 
yield could be greatly increased if a system of irrigation were 
generally in use. At present, the dependence is largely on the 
rains. The yield from seed varies from 40 to 100 grains of crop to 
one seed, 50 grains being a good average. A family of five persons 
will consume about 250 pounds of rice per month. It is used in 
almost every native dish, and takes the place of bread. The 
paddy, or unhulled rice, is to feed horses, cattle, and fowls. 

It may be said in conclusion, that the rice and sugar planters 
have many insect enemies to contend against. One of the 
worst is the locust, which makes its appearance at times in over- 



The Philippine Islands. 



213 



whehning multitudes, and whose ravages I have elsewhere 
described. In some degree it replaces the food it destroys, the 
natives cooking and eating their foes, and in some districts, looking 
upon them as a luxury whose coming is worth praying for. 

The average annual production of rice is a million and a half' 
piculs, and almost a million piculs are imported. 





The Hemp Plant and Its Uses. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE ABACA. 



FIRST and foremost among the useful plants of the Philippines 
stands musa textilis, a species of plantain that grows wild in 
many of the islands and is the source of the well-known 
Manila hemp, the most valuable of all fibres for cordage. The native 
name for the plant is abaca. In appearance it is not easy to dis- 
tinguish it from the plant of the same genus that yields us that useful 
and agreeable fruit, the banana. The only visible difference really is 
that the banana tree is taller and its leaves are of a lighter green. 
The most marked distinction is in the fruit, that of the abaca being 
small and unfit for eating. 

Properly considered, the abaca, like all the plantains, is an herb, 
not a tree ; that is, it bears flowers and fruit once only, then per- 
ishes. The root survives, however, and a new plant springs up. 
The abaca attains an average height of ten feet, though it some- 
times grows much higher. Its favorite location is on hilly land, 
and it refuses to grow in swampy situations. I have often found 
it growing wild on mountain slopes of volcanic formation, where 
the* little depth of soil scarcely gave it room to root. 

The value of this plant lies in its leaves, the petioles, or leaf- 
stalks, containing a long and strong fibre, for which it is widely 
cultivated. Little attention is given to the plant during its three 
214 



The Hemp Plant and its Uses. 



215 



years of growth. At the end of that time it sends up a central 
stem, upon which flowers appear. Now comes the work of the 
cultivator. Fruit is not permitted to appear, the flower-stem being 
cut away and the leaf-stalks that surround it torn into strips five or 
six inches wide, their length being over six feet. 




MAYOX VOLCANO, AI.BAY: IN THE HKMP-PKODUCING DISTRICT. 



THE PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE. 

Bast, the name by which these strips are known, is made up of 
hemp-fibre and a soft pulpy substance enclosing it. The process 
of manufacture is a very simple one,— consisting in scraping this 
soft substance from the fibre. This work is done by the natives in 
a primitive fashion. Nevertheless, no one, so far, has been able to 
improve upon it. 

The scraping instrument consists of a dull knife, which is at- 
tached by a hinge to a block of wood. To this is connected a 
treadle worked by the foot, by whose aid the operator scrapes the 



2i6 The Philippine Islands. 

fresh leaf-strips under the knife, with the degree of force that may 
be thought necessary. The bast is drawn along between the knife 
and the block, forcing out the pulp, which remains on the side of 
the knife, while the fibre, as it is set free, is wound by the operator 
round a stick of wood. 

Only one further process is necessary. The fibre in its fresh 
state is very moist, containing about fifty-six per cent, of water. 
To dispose of this, it is laid in the sun to dry and left for about five 
hours, when it is considered ready for use. All that remains to be 
done, then, is to prepare it for shipment, which is done by packing: 
tightly in bales and binding with hoops of iron or rattan. 

The method of cleaning the bast, as described, has long been 
practised by the islanders. Many attempts have been made to im- 
prove upon it, but with no shining success. In fact, the various 
machines that have been devised for the removal of the pulp 
usually have done more harm than good. A machine that seeks to 
clean the whole length of a strip of bast at once, is sure to break 
the fibre, which is not strong enough to bear the strain. In the 
machines a cylinder takes the place of the hand and the stick of 
the operator, and those cylinders, whether of steel or of glass, 
are always found to discolor the fibre, and thus reduce its market- 
able value. The only machine I know of that avoids this defect 
is the invention of Don Abelardo Cuesta, a Spaniard, brought out 
in 1886. This yielded excellent results, but required so many 
hands to run it that it did not pay. The result is, nearly all the 
fibre that is shipped is cleaned by the old native hand-process. 

SOME FACTS ABOUT HEMP-GROWING. 

Hemp-growing is the least troublesome of the agricultural opera- 
tions in the Philippines, and gives the best returns for the expense 
involved. In starting a plantation the colonist chooses forest land, 
clearing away the smaller growth, but leaving the large trees to 
shade the plants and the young shoots. Where the soil is virgin, 
each shoot occupies, at first, a space of ground thirty-six Spanish 
square feet in extent. When the original plant is felled, the suck- 



The Hemp Plant and its Uses. 



217 



■ers come up anywhere, growing spontaneously from the parent 
root, and yielding a much denser plantation. 

The abaca can be raised from seed ; in which case it requires four 
years to flower. Planters, however, generally transplant the six- 
months-suckers, which, as I have said, reach maturity in three 
years. Maturity, for commercial purposes, signihes the flowering 




A HE.MP WAREHOUSE, MANILA. 



stage. In no case is the plant allowed to bear fruit, because fruit- 
bearing weakens the outer fibre. 

Ample capital is necessary for success in hemp-growing, inasmuch 
as three years or more must pass before any profit can be had. After 
that, the grower can depend upon an annual yield. But even then, 
■when he is the owner of a flourishing plantation, he has serious 
difliculties to contend with. The amount of waste is enormous, 



2i8 The Philippine Islands. 

some thirty per cent, of the fibre being lost through carelessness 
and negligence. The natives often cut the leaf-stalks before they 
reach maturity. In other cases, they fail to do so till they have 
rotted on the plant. 

Inefficiency takes still other forms, but, despite this, there is 
abundant margin for gain, since no agricultural operation is con- 
ducted with less risk. The dense protecting forest-growth shields 
the plants from hurricanes, while the high land on which they 
grow is safe from inundation. Fire can make no headway among 
their green leaves and moist stems. Locusts will not touch the 
hemp plant, and beetles and other insects harm it but little. As 
the crop comes to maturity at successive periods, it can be leisurely 
gathered, from time to time, the year round. No ploughing is 
needed, and therefore there is no live-stock to be purchased, fed, 
and cared for. There is no expensive machinery, and no highly- 
priced machinists needed to run it. Weeding must be care- 
fully attended to, but this is the work of the natives, and is done 
very cheaply. The enemies of the hemp planter are an occasional 
drought when his plants are in the ground, and the danger of fire to 
his dried bales before they reach their destination. His greatest 
annoyance must come from the steady thirty per cent, of what 
seems like unnecessary waste, due to the causes stated. 

DIFFICULTIES WITH NATIVE LABOR. 

Work on an abaca estate is performed on the co-operative plan. 
The laborers are paid not in money but in kind, they receiving half 
the fibre they clean, while the other half goes to the owner of the 
estate. The workman, however, is not required to take the fibre 
for his pay, but receives, instead, its current cash value— if not 
cheated, which he frequently is. The law of the Philippines, how- 
ever, is cheat for cheat, the native having become quite as tricky 
as his master. The value of the fibre depends upon its whiteness 
and its strength, and both are reduced by the indolence and dis- 
honesty of the hands. My experience with the islanders is, I 
admit, that they are none too fond of work. A laborer on a hemp 



The Hemp Plant and its Uses. 



219 



plantation, who finds himself pressed for money, is likely to take some 
method like the following to obtain it : he will seek an abaca plant, 
strip a few of its leaf-stalks, and leave them exposed to the rain and 
the air. As a result, the bast grows soft and rotten, and is more easily 
cleaned, but the fibre is weakened and discolored. In cleaning it, 
he uses a toothed knife,— a form forbidden by the trade, since it 
adds to the discoloration. As the fibre is sold by weight, the dis- 













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A HEMP PRESS AT A BUSY HOUR. 



honest manipulator is careful to leave some of the pulp to dry upon 
it and so increase the number of pounds. Carrying his bundle of 
coarse, partly-cleaned, discolored, and weak fibre, he seeks the 
dealer at night, that he may be deceived as to the color of 
the fibre. These tricks are well known to the planter, his 
manager, and to the acopiadores, or dealers at large, and do not 
often succeed. 



220 The Philippine Islands. 

The plantation-owners make eveiy effort to force the natives to use 
knives without teeth, in order that the fibre may be fine, perfectly 
clean, and white. The Filipino, though, if not closely watched, 
persists in using 'his serrated knife, because if he uses one with a 
smooth edge he loses in weight. He is too ignorant to perceive 
that the fibre properly treated is of higher value. It is quite pos- 
sible, as is often claimed, that there is a difference in plants, some 
giving a whiter fibre than others. But it is generally conceded 
that if the natives would cut the plant only at maturity, cleanse the 
fibre under a toothless knife the same day, place the strips in a 
clean place, and sun-dry at once, the waste would be materially 
lessened, and there would be little third-class matter. 

In other words, what the hemp-planter needs are honest, reliable 
hands and an efficient manager. 

On some of the islands inspectors are appointed by the Governor, 
whose duty it is to travel about from place to place, intimidating 
hemp-laborers in the name of the law. But so far their efforts seem 
to have met with but little success, the plantations owned by for- 
eigners being large, remote, and difficult to reach ; they are, indeed, 
nearly always on the sides of mountains. In the extraction of the 
fibre the natives work in couples : one man strips the bast, another 
draws it under the knife. A fair week's work for the two, includ- 
ing selection and felling of plants, and cleansing and drying of 
bast, is 2| piculs — about 300 pounds. First-quality fibre brings in 
Manila $8.50 a picul, and third-quality $7.25 ; but while the former 
price remains firm, the latter falls as the poor quality increases. 
Nevertheless, as may be seen, the native gets good wages even for 
a poor quality of hemp. 

The work of the laborers is by no means confined to treating the 
fibre, they being expected to devote some time every day to weed- 
ing the plants, and clearing out brushwood. This is part of their 
regular work and is not paid for extra. The baling of the fibre is 
done by means of a press, at which men and boys work, their rate 
of payment varying from I2>^ to 50 cents a day. Transportation 
from the plantations to the shipping points, such as Manila and 
Cebu, is also to be considered in estimating the outlay of the planter. 



The Hemp Plant and its Uses. 

TRICKS OF THE NATIVES, 



221 



I have not yet told all the tricks of the natives. They cheat also 
in the planting, by not making deep enough holes for setting out 
the shoots. In consequence, planters no longer pay at once for 
shoots and labor, as formerly, but reserve payment for three years, 
or until full growth is 
attained. Then $io are 
paid for each hundred 
of live plants. 

In addition to the 
large planters, many of 
the Filipinos produce 
bast in a small way, 
selling it to Chinese 
dealers. Or a China- 
man may, for a petty 
sum, gain the right to 
work a native plantation 
for a fixed term of years. 
With but one thought 
in mind — that of imme- 
diate gain — he strips the 
plants in their immature 
stage, producing a white 
but weak fibre, and re- 
turns the plantation to 
its owner ruined for 
the time being. The 
Chinese are, in conse- 
quence, held under suspicion, and their bast is severely inspected 
before purchase. 

In fact, the whole process of hemp-production, from the proprietor 
downtothelowest laborer, seems permeated with fraud ; and between 
efforts to cheat on the one hand, and efforts to escape being cheated 
on the other, life on a hemp plantation is not a state of beatitude. 




A CHINESE HEMP MERCHANT IN GALA ATTIRE. 



222 The Philippine Islands. 

COMPETITION WITH OTHER LANDS. 

Manila hemp never fails of a market, particularly in the United 
States, where it is most largely used. No other fibre known is so 
valuable for cordage, and the production might be greatly increased 
without overstocking the market. To the various frauds practised 
in its production may be added another employed by the manu- 
facturers of cordage : the free adulteration of the pure Philip- 
pine fibre by the admixture of New Zealand flax and Russian 
hemp. 

The cultivation of the plant has been attempted outside the 
Philippines, but with no satisfactory result. Abaca planting, it is 
true, was tried successfully in the botanical gardens at Saigon, 
Cochin China, but the experiment was abandoned, for some reason 
unexplained. Abaca has also been planted in British India, and 
flourished as well there as at Saigon, but the effort to produce 
hemp from it failed through ignorance of the proper method of the 
drawing of the fibre. 

The mode of extraction tried was that practised with the ordinary 
hemp of India, excepting that the stems were first passed through 
a sugar-cane mill, to get rid of the sap. By this means fifty per- 
cent, .of the whole weight was squeezed out ; the stems were 
then immersed in water and left to rot for ten or more days; after- 
ward they were washed by hand and dried in the sun. Less than 
two pounds of fibre were thus gained from one hundred pounds 
of stems, and this bad in color and lacking in strength. 

This method is very unlike that employed in the Philippines, and 
the natives of the islands need have no fear of Indian competition 
under such conditions. The fibre will not bear the pressure 
of cylinders without damage in color, while the soaking of the 
stems is sure to weaken it. The experiments in India failed to 
distinguish between the Indian hemp and Manila hemp plants, 
which belong to different families, and require radically different 
treatment. 

The islands of Lej^te and Marinduque, and certain districts in the 
large island of Luzon yield the finest quality of hemp. The prov- 



The Hemp Plant and its Uses. 



223 



ince of Albay, the leading hemp-district of Luzon, cannot be sur- 
passed in quantity and quality of yield, its annual hemp-crop aver- 
aging about 20,000 tons. Before 1825 the demand was little, and 
the hemp-yield insignificant. Since then, the growing demand has 
greatly developed the culture, the crop of 1840 being about 8,500 
tons, in 1 880 about 50,000 tons. It has been steadily on the increase. 




A WEALTHY SPANISH MERCHANT OF ALBAY. 



The United States receives the greatest proportion of this prod- 
uct, nearly all the remainder going to Great Britain and her Aus- 
tralian colonies. Manila is the principal port of shipment: the 
bales are sent thither from the plantations. 



EXPERIENCE OF A PLANTER. 



For those that desire statistics, I may repeat the statement made to 
me in person by an Albay planter. The plantation of this gentleman, 
in which he had invested a capital of $60,000, embraced 1800 



224 The Philippine Islands. 

acres, planted at the time of purchase with shoots of two years' 
growth, and therefore needing one year more before cutting. 
There was a store-house on the estate capable of holding 5000 
piculs, or 695,000 pounds of hemp (a picul is 139 pounds). The 
purchase also mcluded a bale-press and shed, a plot prepared for 
sun-drying, two horses, and a vehicle. 

The working expenses of this plantation, includmg the various 
items of salaries to overseers, clerks, and storekeepers, wages to 
natives, living and traveling expenses of overseer, fire insurance, 
office expenses, freight to Manila, loading, commission, storage, 
and mmor items, were $10,000. In this were included some loss by 
stealing, and several hundred dollars loss by waste. 

In one year the planter received in Manila $27,000 for his dried 
bales of hemp-fibre, making a net profit of thirty per cent, on in- 
vested capital. It must be remembered, however, that in Albay 
province the conditions for the investor in abaca-planting are of 
the best. Equal results cannot be expected elsewhere. 

WHAT THE HEMP IS USED FOR. 

Manila hemp is principally used in the manufacture of mats, sail 
cloth, and cordage. Out of the old ropes the well-known stout 
brown wrapping-paper is made — the Manila paper of commerce. 
In Paris the imported hemp-fibre is used in the manufacture of car- 
pets, tapestry, net-work, hammocks ; and even in the making of 
bonnets. 

The natives obtain small quantities of very fine hemp-fibre from 
the carefully-selected edges of the petiole, or leaf-stalk, and from 
this they weave an exquisite, fine, silky material, suitable for gowns. 
This fibre is worth twice as much as first-class cordage hemp. 
The difficulties with the weave lie in the fragility, and, conse- 
quently, the frequent breakages of the thread ; hence the expense 
of the material. On one of the islands a fabric is made from fine 
hemp and pine-leaf fibre. This the natives endeavor to sell to for- 
eigners for pure pina, which is as fine and soft as Bengal muslin. 
The fraud is detected by the lack of flexibility in the material, it 



226 



The Philippine Islands. 



having a horse-hair stiffness. Any one that has ever touched a 
soft, silky, pine-leaf fibre handkerchief, for instance, would easily 
distinguish the difference. 

Lastly, in enumerating the valuable qualities of manila hemp, I 
may state that the poorer classes of the natives of the Philippine 
Islands wear clothes that they manufacture from the ordinary fibre ; 
and that even the bags in which the fresh coffee-beans are sent 
from the islands to foreign markets are made from the same 
material. 

I may say, in concluding this subject, that hemp is the most im- 
portant article of Philippine product, and that its production is 
capable of being greatly increased. The official documents that I 
have examined in Manila show that within the last decade the 
United States has received fully forty per cent, of all the hemp- 
product of the islands. In the ten years previous to 1898 a single 
firm in Boston bought 79,000 tons of hemp, paying for it an aver- 
age price of 3 cents a pound in the Manila market. During this 
period the total export of hemp was 914,100 tons. The import to 
the United States during the same time averaged in value $2,400,000 
a year. A liberal and progressive administration will soon increase 
this tenfold. 





Culture and Use of Tobacco. 



THE CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO, A STATE MONOPOLY. 



THE seed of the tobacco plant was introduced into the Bhihp- 
pines from Mexico by Spanish missionaries. It is an annual, 
grows to the height of five or six feet, and varies greatly in 
flavor, not only in different provinces, but in different places in the 
same province. Luzon has always been rnore directly under the con- 
trol of the Spaniards than any other part of the Archipelago. As it 
contains the capitol — literally the seat of Government — it is from 
this island that every unjust and cruel edict has proceeded since 
the time of the conquest. Indeed, Spain has never tried to govern 
more than half a dozen of the islands ; and while all of the Philip- 
pines are nominally under her suzerainty, there are at least two hun- 
dred of them filled with fierce and intractable tribes — and these she 
has not even explored. But it is Luzon that, from first to last, has 
felt most heavily the weight of her iron hand. On that island, in 
1 78 1, the cultivation of tobacco was formally declared a State 
monopoly. 

This lasted just a year and a century. The Government, after 
long debate on the subject, decided that, on the whole, it would 
be more profitable and less troublesome to demand a high license, 
and place the enterprise in the hands of private dealers. 

The monopoly was accordingly abolished, December 31st, 1882. 

The natives fought against this. They had suffered horribly from 

227 



Culture and Use of Tobacco. 229 

State regulations. They feared to suffer more from private perse- 
cution.' The friars, however, the real rulers of the Philippines, 
decided against the monopoly ; and, notwithstanding that it was 
the largest source of public revenue on the islands, it was abolished. 

OPPRESSIVE CONDITIONS IN LUZON. 

From 1781 to 1882, then, in Luzon the following conditions pre- 
vailed : First, in the Philippines natives were never allowed to own 
land, — the property of the State. By paying for the privilege they 
might receive permission to cultivate the soil. During the con- 
tinuance of the monopoly, in certain districts in northern Luzon, 
only tobacco plants were permitted to be placed in the ground. 
Not one foot of his poor little plot could the native use for his own 
subsistence. Moreover, he was forced to contract with the Gov- 
ernment to raise 4000 plants a year ; not one leaf of which could he 
call his own. 

Every family was bound to produce a given quantity annually ; 
while a shortage in returns was punished with beating, fines, con- 
fiscation, or imprisonment. 

In some of the districts selected the islanders were too wild and 
insubordinate to follow directions in the planting, the preparing, 
and in the drying of the leaf. Emigrants were therefore sent from 
the vicinity of Manila, and were provided with land, homes, food, 
and clothing. 

Their subsequent fate was pitiable. Spies of the Government 
visited the native houses at all hours, in search of concealed 
tobacco. Every nook and corner of the little dwelling would be 
ransacked time and again, and the women of the family subjected 
to rude and insulting personal inspection. 

And these harassing visits were made at disquieting intervals ; 
sometimes two or three days in succession ; so that the easy and 
indolent Filipino was kept in haunting terror of incursions. 

At the Government headquarters of the district, the dried leaves 
were carefully examined by the Inspector. Those that he approved 
he paid for ; the rest were burned. 



230 



The Philippine Islands. 



If an Indian were caught smoking one of his own cigars, within 
a few steps of his own airing-sheds, he was seized and fined. The 
offence, arrest, and conviction cost him dear : about $8.00 if he 
were smoking a cigar ; about $2.00, if a cigarette. 

In a country where the monotony of life is mitigated by the 
soothing effects of the leaf, and where men and women smoke as 
inevitably— and almost as naturally — as they eat, these constant and 
harassing exactions became maddening. The burning of the 




A VIEW OF THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE, MANILA; OVER THE PASIG KIVER. 

rejected bundles was felt to be especially cruel and unnecessary. 
But the Inspector was inexorable. 

All these combined causes, and particularly the insults to women, 
frequently brought about bloody encounters between the people 
and the servants of the State. 

There are numberless cases where Indians live on the land cul- 
tivated by their ancestors, and cling to it ; and, in their ignorance, 
feel it to be their own. The Government, however, with its usual 



Culture and Use of Tobacco. 231 

treachery, finally took advantage of this attachment, and, while 
exacting full returns from the natives, paid them only in part, or in 
depreciated currency. 

HOW SPECULATORS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE NATIVES. 

Sharpers from Manila made their way into the tobacco districts 
as soon as this was known, buj'ing large sums in Treasury notes for 
small quantities of specie ; and so needy were the natives, and so 
rooted their distrust of Spain, that they made the exchange eagerly, 
glad to get into their hands the smallest quantity of the money they 
were familiar with — genuine gold. 

Every effort was made to confine the growth of tobacco to cer- 
tain selected districts controlled b}' the State, but, in spite of this, 
concealed plantations were continually being cultivated in remote 
provinces, and a large body of picked men and many revenue 
cutters were constantly in the employ of the Government. It 
was their duty to discover and destroy these plantations, punish 
the growers, confiscate the leaf, and break up the smuggling. 

But, despite these precautions and drastic measures, the initiated 
always knew where to obtain a good cigar for about one-fourth of 
what was paid for it. in a Manila shop. Expedition after expedition 
was sent to distant islands, to discover and punish the growers and 
manufacturers of illicit tobacco, and stubborn fights ensued, the 
friars invariably being on the side of the natives. 

These were the abuses and revolts that finally led to the abolition 
of the monopoly. 

Private enterprise in the islands has its own hard ways to accom- 
plish its own unscrupulous ends, and whether Company, individual, 
or Government is in power, the result is always the same — the 
native is cheated, suffers, is pushed to the M-all. 

THE QUALITY OF MANILA TOBACCO. 

. Since 1882 it is a matter of common complaint that there is 
not so much care taken in the preparing of the leaf : this requires 
great skill and unwearied attention to detail, inasmuch, as if over- 



232 The Philippine Islands. 

heated, or left too long in the airing-sheds, something precious 
is lost in quality and in aroma. 

Cuban cigars are not sold in the colony, and the old residents 
believe the flavor of their own tobacco incomparable. The out- 
side world, however, gives the preference to the Cuban brand. 
Indeed, at one time the Government tried to introduce seed from 
Cuba, but, owing to mismanagement, the scheme failed. Such an 
inferior quality of leaf sometimes finds its way into Manila, and is 
sold for such low prices, that one wonders what profit there can 
be in cultivating it. This is, of course, worked oft" on the poorer 
natives. 

The tobacco trade is still a monopoly in Spain, and the Philip- 
pines are under contract to provide the home factories with 98,000 
cwt. of dried leaf per annum. Enormous fortunes are made in a 
short time in this product. 

When the infamous Weyler was Governor-General of the Philip- 
pines, his two brothers were in this business in Binondo. They 
went back to Madrid in a few years, and lived like princes. 

The fact remains, however, that while a very superior article of 
cigar and cigarette is made in the factories of Manila and its vicinity, 
if the colony wishes to compete with other countries, the tobacco 
planters must raise the standard of quality all along the line. 

METHODS OF PREPARING THE TOBACCO LEAF. 

There are several large tobacco factories in Binondo, the trading 
centre of Manila ; one in particular employing 15,00 men, women, 
and children, at an average wage of 15 cents a day. The working 
hours are from seven to twelve in the morning, and from two to 
five in the afternoon. Just at sunset, I have often seen the operatives 
leave this factory in droves, and thousands of them immediately 
plunge into the waters of Manila Bay, where they swam about in 
the surf, rolling, tumbling, and shouting like children. 

I have repeatedly gone through the factories, following the leaf 
from bale to finish ; and it is an interesting sight. Color and 
quality are decided by a lightning expert, and quick and thorough 



234 



The Philippine Islands. 



is the whole process, till the finished cigars are .packed in cedar 
boxes, labeled for the market. Cedar-wood seems part of the charm. 

Innumerable efforts have been made to use other and less expen- 
sive woods in packing, but without avail : either the cedar conserves 
the aroma better, or, more likely, it adds a special quality of its 
own, which, through long habit, the confirmed smoker finds indis- 
pensable to his enjoyment. 

The Escalante region is noted for the fine tobacco grown there, 
though sugar, of course, is the most important crop. The tobacco 




SPANISH LUXURY IN THE OLD DAYS. 



is rich-flavored, and by many experts is deemed the most desir- 
able leaf in all the Visayas. 

But it is generally agreed that the best quality of Island tobacco 
is that grown in the provinces of northern Luzon, the most valued 
coming from Cagayan and La Isabela. 

Old residents invariably prefer Island tobacco; but the English, as 
the Americans, and the peninsular Spaniard choose, instead, the fa- 



Culture and Use of Tobacco. 235 

mous Vuelto Abajo of Cuba, and think they get it. MilHons of 
" Havana " cigars, made of Phihppine leaf, are sold in Manila under 
the name of this brand. In fact, the two styles — Manila and 
Cuban— are manufactured in almost equal quantities, differing in 
size and shape, but not in quality. The expert, at the selecting 
table, divides his heap into many different colors. Only five, how- 
ever, are known to the trade. They are : Maduro, Colorado 
Maduro, Colorado, Colorado Claro, and Claro. 

The filling of a cigar is called tripa, or tripe ; the wrapper, capa, 
or overcoat. From the factory I have mentioned, alone, a million 
and a half of cigars are shipped to Europe every month. The 
strong, dark brands go to Spain. England takes every kind. The 
lighter colors are preferred in America. 

Tobacco-leaves for cigarettes are cut into thread — generally 
called " long cut," — and the whole process of making is done by 
one machine. I have seen nine of these hard at work, each turning 
out 12,000 cigarettes a day, making 38,000,000 in a year. 



SMOKING, A UNIVERSAL HABIT. 

Smoking goes on in the Philippines everywhere but in church — 
in the hotel dining-room as soon as coffee is served, and at the 
theatre or opera while the audience is gathering, and between the 
acts. Even your cab-driver will offer you a cigar, if he thinks you 
have none. Spanish women of wealth and rank— grandmothers, 
mothers, daughters, and nieces sit on the balconies of their beauti- 
ful residences in the capital, puffing away at their cigarillos,— a tiny 
brand made especially for feminine consumption ; while in some 
homes men and women help themselves from the same box. 

It is an incongruous sight, and one hostile to the accepted ideas 
of a splendid type of primitive man, to see in the depths of remote 
provinces native men and women, young and old, of striking phys- 
ical proportions, the men nude but for the flimsy breech-clout, 
smoking away at cigars, cigarettes, and even pipes ; and at every 
possible and impossible angle of incidence. 



236 



The Philippine Islands. 



For cigars and cigarettes have for many years been sold every- 
where throughout the colony,— in even the remotest hamlets. 

Besides, considerable stimulus has been given to the smoking 
habit in the wildest provinces by travelers, who, to ingratiate them- 
selves with the half-savage natives of distant provinces, or to keep 
them from speculating whether one is a Spaniard or not, and there- 
by arousing their ire, bountifully dispense cigars and cigarettes 
whereever they go. 

And so the dominant and absorbing habit of the Filipinos is to 
smoke. 

Indeed, the common habit of smoking makes it possible to realize 
the Arabian Nights' stories of fabulous fortunes made in the Philip- 
pines in a short time from the cultivation, preparation, and manu- 
facture of the fragrant leaf. 





The Cultivation of Coffee. 



THE ORIGIN OF THE INDUSTRY. 

In the early part of the nineteenth century several Spaniards 
began the cultivation of coffee in a little valley away at the north 
end of Luzon. The trees they planted were the first cof¥ee 
plants ever known on the island. A small wild animal, somewhat 
like a weasel, somewhat like a fox, began eating and scattering the 
growing berries, until in this way myriads of the little creatures 
had unwittingly sown coffee seeds over all the island. 

Some of these original plants still bear fruit, thousands of pounds 
being gathered from the wild bushes. Plantation owners in that 
vicinity, the province of Batangas, have, indeed, assured me that the 
trees possessed by their grandfathers are still vigorous ; while it is 
also a well-known fact that in many other coffee-producing colonies 
the plants are quite exhausted by the end of the thirtieth year. 

Manila coffee is highly prized in Spain and her dependencies. 
They have, of course, nothing so rich in flavor as the Mocha bean 
of Arabia, but a kind, called caracolillo, that resembles it in taste 
and in shape. It has only one seed to the berry, while, on the other 
hand, all other varieties have two. 

The merchants in Manila are extremely cautious in their dealings 
with the provincial planters, giving the preference to coffee from 
Cavite, Batangas, and La Laguna. In Mindanao coffee is sent to 
the market without being looked over, the result being a distasteful 

237 



238 The Philippine Islands. 

compound of good and bad beans. This is sold to the unfastidious 
natives at very low prices, but is wholly unfit for European 
consumption. 

INDIFFERENCE OF COFFEE-PLANTERS. 

Cavity planters — whether Spaniard or Indian — show an indiffer- 
ence to a dozen details that their competitors in the other provinces 
named are extremel}^ particular about. They are careless in the 
selecting of sites for their plantations, which should be on hilly 
ground ; careless in the choice of the soil, of the seed, in pruning, 




DISTRICT OF TAAL : IN THE BATANGAS PKOVINCE. 

in attention to the ripe fruit ; in detaching the bean from its outer 
coating ; and, above all, in many places, careless to separate the 
good beans from the bad. All this is due to the inertness of the 
planter and to the indolence of his laborers. 

And while this continues, the Philippines will never be known as 
■one of the great coffee-producing countries of the world ; though 
its possibilities in that direction are simply incalculable. 

SPECULATION IN COFFEE. 

Coffee is a good deal of a speculation in the islands. Collectors 
drive about paying for crops still ungathered. Moreover, if the large 



The Cultivation of Coffee. 239 

planters do not produce enough to hll their contracts, they depend 
upon the small plots of the natives, — which will account for much 
variety in the bean, and for the occasional extremely-poor quality 
already spoken of. The money advanced is always gauged by the 
price per picul that coffee brought the 3'ear before in the Manila 
market. 

For instance, if it then cost $12 a picul, $8 will be advanced to 
the planter on the crops in the ground. The collector always tries 
to protect himself by a pretty good margin. He dccasionally loses, 
however. In one case, some years ago, coffee advanced to $31 a 
picul, and enormous fortunes were made. 

Fluctuations are constantly occurring in the coffee market, owing 
to the peculiar nature of the transactions, as purchases are invari- 
ably made before the crop has come to fruition. But a startling 
rise like the one mentioned, is unprecedented in the history of the 
trade, and is hardly likely to occur again. 

METHODS OF CULTIVATION. 

A coffee-site, as I have said, should be chosen on high ground, and 
on the side of a hill ; for the reason that, while the bod)^ of the plant 
requires a great degree of moisture, which is given by the heavy 
rains of the country, the roots, on the other hand, must be kept dry. 

The ground is cleared — generally by fire — and fenced in. Like 
hemp, the coffee tree needs careful shading, and to insure this the 
next process is to plant slips of the madre cacao, in straight rows, 
about one Spanish yard apart. When these reach the height of three 
feet, the coffee-shoots are placed at intervals in the holes prepared 
for them, having been soaked for two or three days in water. 

As the plantation becomes too thick, trees and plants are re- 
moved — care being taken, however, to preserve the symmetrical 
appearance of the whole, as it is imperative for the health 
of the tree that no coffee-shoots or branches should touch one 
another. 

In its natural state, the tree grows to the height of twenty-five feet, 
but constant pruning is necessary, and the tree, when properly 



240 



The Philippine Islands. 

eight feet. Returns are 



cared for, is kept down to seven or 
expected four 5'ears after planting. 

There are few things more beautiful than a well-ordered coffee 
estate in full bloom. Straight and stately avenues cross each 
other in every direction. The plant has long glossy leaves, like 
the laurel ; the blossoms are snowy-white, and in shape resemble 




f:_ - 



THE USEFUL BUFFALO : FOR ALL HAULING-PURPOSES. 



the jasmine, and their fragrance is exquisite ; while overhead the 
madre foliage grows dense, protecting the more delicate plant from 
too much sun, too pelting a storm, too wild a blast. The fruit, 
when ripe, is of a dark scarlet color, and the ordinary beny con- 
tains two seeds, glued together and covered with a membrane. The 
mocha of Arabia and the caracolillo of Manila are richer in flavor 
than the other varieties, and, as already stated, have but one bean, 
thus differing in shape from those of the ordinary berry. 



The Cultivation of Coffee. 241 

The neighborhood of Lipa is noted for its wealth and for many 
coffee estates round about. A number of the planters there have 
sedulousl}' done all in their power to attain perfection in the grow- 
ing, dressing, sorting, and marketing of the bean. Along their 
own lines, too, they have overcome obstacles, and have effected 
certain success. And some of the estates are beautiful and most 
prosperousl}^ ordered. I have driven through them and ridden 
over them, and have invariably admired them, and, admiring, I 
have marveled at the landscape-gardening effects produced on 
what was seemingly so commercial a basis. Ruskin's own ideas of 
beauty in every-day life and in lowly occupation can not find a 
more delightful and satisfying illustration than in the environment 
in which masses of laborers delve and toil upon some of the Lipa 
coffee estates. 

In the Philippines the coffee berries are gathered by hand from 
the trees, — men, women, and children assisting in the process. 
The fruit is then put aside in heaps, and in a few days is washed. 
In this way much of the pulp is detached and discarded. The 
remainder is placed in a mortar and pounded until the clean bean 
emerges, which, in the bulk, forms the coffee of commerce. This 
is sent, in coarse bags of hemp, to Manila for sale. 

The ripe berries, when sun-dried, lose over 50 per cent, of 
moisture. 

HARSH METHODS OF THE GOVERNMENT. 

The Government at Madrid, with its usual heavy, tyrannous 
policy, has imposed extra licenses on the planting of coffee, and 
laid a heavy import duty on the machinery lately introduced and 
used to prepare the bean for market. 

The formation of the Philippine Archipelago is peculiarly 
adapted to the cultivation of coffee and hemp. To say it once more : 
Both need high altitudes, and to be grown on the sides of hills 
or mountains. On most of the islands a range runs north and 
south, rising sometimes to the height of nine thousand feet. 

The laborers on a coffee estate expect to receive one-half the 
produce for their work in caring for the crop, which includes 



24: 



The Philippine Islands. 



ploughing, — something essential to the health of the tree, — cultivat- 
ing, picking, and drying the fruit, and preparing the bean for 
transport to Manila. 

The hard methods of the Government regarding the coffee bean, 
the difficulties of the grower in obtaining reliable assistance, and 
the fluctuations of the trade will probably account for the small 
quantity produced under Spanish auspices. The island of Negros 
alone is so accessible that the coffee production there ought to be 
enormous. In 1897 the exportation amounted to about $250,000. 
Under almost any other government it would have reached 
$3,000,000. 





Betel Nut, Grain, and Fruit-Growing. 



THE ARECA PALM AND THE BETEL NUT. 

EVERY wild country, it appears, has its favorite soporific, and in 
the Phihppines the fruit of the areca palm is a necessity to 
most of thenatives, justasopiumistotheaverageEastlndian, 
but it is far less deleterious. The manner of its use is as follows : A 
slice of the nut is wTapped in a buyo leaf, covered with lime, made 
from oyster shells, and then chewed. The whole is called betel, and 
the betel-eater is constantly spitting what seems arterial blood ; this, 
together with the sanguinary appearance of his gums, teeth, and 
lips, makes him disgusting to contemplate. 

The areca palm for its nut, and the buyo palm for its leaf, are 
carefully and extensively cultivated. The latter must be used fresh, 
and quantities of the green leaves are sold in the markets daily. 
The effects of betel-chewing seems to be similar to that of the coca 
of Peru ; in moderation, the stimulus to the stomach is excellent ; 
and in both cases it is possible to labor for hours without food, if 
only the native — Philippine or Peruvian — has an ample supply of 
his favorite drug. Temperate use of either is positively beneficial. 
Abuse, in both cases, produces delirium and death. 

There are nearly one thousand warehouses and retail shops in 
Manila for the sale of the areca nut, or for the fresh buyo leaf and 

243 



Betel Nut, Grain, and Fruit-Growing. 245 

lime necessary in its preparation ; or for the slices wrapped and 
ready for immediate use. The buyo leaf is hot to the taste. When 
bruised and placed on the wound it is an antidote to the bite of the 
most venomous snakes. It is useful in cholera ; and water in 
which the leaf has been steeped, is used by mothers as an outside 
application in cases of infant colic. 

THE NIPA PALM AND NIPA WINE. 

The nipa palm looks like a gigantic fern. It grows in swamps, 
and its leaves are deemed invaluable for the thatching of native 
huts. A tall grass, called c6gon, is also used for this purpose. 
From the fruit-stalks of the nipa a wine is distilled that is a 
Government monopoly ; and the art of manufacturing brandy from 
sugar-cane seems to be aboriginal. The inhabitants of the most 
distant islands and provinces have a patient, slow, inglorious way 
of making their favorite drink. The fermented juice is boiled in 
four-gallon jugs ; the steam then escapes through bamboo pipes, is 
cooled, and condensed by a primitive arrangement overhead, — run- 
ning water passing through a hollow log, — and the liquor falls into 
another large stone jug. It is extremely strong and pure, and small 
quantities of the drink are not unhealthful. The natives of the 
Philippines, as I have said so often, hate to trouble themselves 
about anything, and are impatient of slow processes ; they will, 
however, take infinite pains in the distillation of sugar-cane brandy. 
The rewards, though slow, are definite, enchanting, and, above 
everything else, personal. 

VARIOUS FRUITS OF THE ISLANDS. 

The fruits of the Philippines include many varieties well-known 
in American markets, — bananas, shaddocks, oranges, lemons, citrons, 
and pineapples. Others are the usual ones found in the tropics, 
and nowhere else ; and none is to be compared to the apple, peach, 
grape, cherry, and strawberry of the temperate zone. 



246 



The Philippine Islands. 



The durien, however, is extremely luscious. It is large as a 
pineapple, and has a delicious white pulp. It requires a great deal 
of courage to open it, as the rough outside-skin has a monstrous 
odor of decaying flesh. 

The favorite fruit is 
the mango. Of this, 
quantities are par- 
taken daily in the sea- 
son. 

Guava, from which 
jelly is made, grows 
wild. 

The pawpaw tree 
also grows wild, and 
is valuable to the 
natives. The bruised 
leaves exude a sapona- 
ceous liquid, that is 
used in the washing ■ 
of clothes, and has the 
cleansing effect of 
soap. The fruit is 
cooling, but tasteless. 
It is said to contain 
pepsin, and is used by 
invalids with weak 
digestion. 

Bananas are both 
wild and cultivated ; 
seventy-seven varieties 
are found on the isl- 
ands. The fruit is a 
staple article of food ; and a cloth is woven from the fibre that 
natives make up into garments. A coarse paper is also made 
of it. 




TYPICAL NATIVE FRUIT-GIRL. 



Betel Nut, Grain, and Fruit-Growing. 247 

CEREALS AND VEGETABLES. 

A native cannot own land. He may hold it under certain condi- 
tions. What these are in the tobacco districts has been stated. 
The regulations outside these districts are as follows : — 

He must plant useful trees, suitable to the soil ; raise wheat, r3'e, 
maize, vegetables, cotton, pepper ; maintain ever}^ species of appro- 
priate cattle ; keep fruit growing in his orchards and around his 
house ; have at least twelve hens, one cock, and a sucking pig. 
Failing in these impossible conditions, the land may be confiscated 
at the end of two years. 

The missionaries have always helped the natives to divide their 
farms, plan their cultivation, and garner their harvests ; they intro- 
duced the useful maize and wheat, as well as melons and garden- 
truck — peas, beans, cucumbers, onions, and other vegetables. Pota- 
toes are very much in demand, but, so far, have not been success- 
fully cultivated ; being literally what the Americans call " small 
potatoes and few in a hill." 

COTTON AND INDIGO-PLANTING. 

Cotton is cheaply produced, and in quantities sufficient to sup- 
ply the domestic trade. There is no reason why it should not be 
made a matter of large foreign export. 

Indigo plants grow in the wildest luxuriance throughout the 
Philippines. Owing to the richness of the soil but little labor is 
required in their cultivation, and annual returns are expected of 50 
per cent, on the capital employed. There are people now living 
magnificently in Paris and Madrid that owe their revenues to indigo 
plantations in the colony ; the Alvarado family, for instance, whose 
immense estate is on the island of Samar, and whose income from 
this source is nearly $55,000 a year. 

There was once a prejudice against Manila indigo among Euro- 
pean purchasers. This, however, has been removed by improved 
processes and greater care on the part of growers and manufacturers. 
The crops are not so certain as those of hemp, tobacco, or coffee. 



248 



The Philippine Islands. 



They are likely also to be injured by hurricanes and eaten by cater- 
pillars. Nevertheless, the estate-owners seem to flourish. 



THE COCOA INDUSTRY. 

Cocoa and chocolate are the product of the cacao tree, introduced 
early in the history of the islands by missionaries from Mexico. 
The fruit is red in color and shaped like a large cucumber. The 

beans, or kernels, are 
arranged in regular rows 
through the pulp, var}'- 
ing in size and in num- 
b e r. They average 
twenty to the single 
fruit, and generally have 
the size, and always the 
appearance, of almonds, 
with hard skins. They 
are also very bitter. 
Whether dried in the 
sun or roasted in ovens, 
the process must be 
done as soon as the 
fruit is gathered, else 
the flavor of the kernel 
is injured. The beans 
are very oily, and in 
manufacturing cocoa 
much of the fat is ex- 
tracted. This makes the drink more suitable for children and 
invalids. 

To make chocolate, the beans are dried, the skins removed, and 
the mass is pounded in a mortar, then placed upon a rolling board 
and rolled. Quantities of sugar are added to neutralize the bitter- 
ness of the kernel, with vanilla to give the whole flavor. This 
makes a paste that is a great favorite with all classes of Spaniards 




LA BliLLE CHOCl.)LATlt,|.;K 



Betel Nut, Grain, and Fruit-Growing. 249 

and natives, both as a confection and when made into a beverage ; 
yet but httle more of the fruit is grown on the islands than is neces- 
sary for home consumption. The dried bean is safe as an export, 
but the cacao tree has many enemies ; and when the crop has 
come to ripening, in spite of threatened disease and destroying ver- 
min^ it may be ruined by a tempest in a single hour. These vicis- 
situdes discourage the planter, who seldom tries to do more than 
secure enough of the cacao bean for family use. The trees are 
usually planted in gardens near the house, and the chocolate-paste 
is made at home. A small quantity of the bean is sent annually to 
Spain ; and there is a chocolate factory in Manila for the benefit of 
those that do not care to trouble themselves with either the growth 
of the fruit or the preparation of the kernel. The oil of the cocoa 
is used also for lighting the houses and streets. 

It is impossible to find better chocolate than that made by the 
friars of the Philippines. Special pains are taken with the cacao 
tree, which is planted in the orchards and gardens of the monas- 
teries, and in the manufacture of the paste and in the making of the 
beverage. Care must be used in the selection of soil and locality ; 
the tree must be shaded by the taller banana ; the planter must be 
able to risk the loss of an occasional harvest, caused by vermin, dis- 
ease, or tempest ; and in good j'ears the planter will get a return of 
90 per cent, on his capital. The fact remains, however, that few 
colonists are willing to take chances in a crop, that, at the last 
minute, can be easily ruined. 

THE TRAFFIC IN BIRDS' NESTS. 

The Philippine Islands are rich in growths that would seem 
strange to an American — edible birds' -nests, roots, nuts, grasses, 
fruits, and the like. The bird's nest is sold in large quantities to 
the Chinese, who make a soup of it, — nauseous, indeed, to for- 
eigners. It is built by a little creature resembling the swallow ; 
is pasty-white in appearance, dotted with red spots. The nests are 
found high up, in almost inaccessible caves, on cliffs above the sea. 
Nest-gathering is an occupation by itself, very dangerous, and fol- 



250 



The Philippine Islands. 



lowed by natives of only extreme hardihood and agility. The 
birds are robbed of their nests as soon as they are completed, and 
this first gathering is sold to the Chinese at enormous prices. The 
bird patiently builds another home, and is again despoiled. The 
second gathering, however, is deemed second-class in the market ; 
and the third gathering is even more inferior. And 'tis only the 
approach of the rainy season that protects the bird in the laying of 
its eggs and in the care of its young. 





Useful Woods and Plants. 



THE HUGE FORESTS. 



THERE are great forests of costly woods in the colony, mahog- 
any, sapan-wood, log-wood, iron-wood, ebony, and cedar ; 
beside fifty varieties not known to European markets, but 
eagerly sought for by merchants from China. The cedar is almost 
exclusively used in making cigar boxes ; and I have seen beautiful 
knotted and polished war clubs of iron-wood used by the remoter 
savages in their battles with other tribes ; they are as black as 
ebony, and nearly as hard as steel. These various woods yield 
logs from eighteen to seventy feet in length. The molave is 
especially valuable : the sea-worm cannot bore it, the white ant 
eat it ; nor is it affected by water or by climate. It is used for 
the frames of vessels, and would be unsurpassed for railroad ties, 
being practically invulnerable. 

The palma brava is used in the making of bridges, piles, and 
piers — wherever, in short, resistance to water is necessary. 

Lanete-wood is useful in carving and in the making of musical 
instruments, or elsewhere where delicacy is required, as well as 
strength. 

From sapan a rich crimson dye is extracted. This is obtained 

by cutting the smaller branches into little pieces and soaking them 

251 



^5^ 



The Philippine Islands, 



in boiling water. This dye is much esteemed, but is not so per- 
manent as that made from cochineal. 

There are many hundreds of islands in the Philippines with 
thousands of miles of virgin forests, with woods suitable for ship- 
building, houses, cars, fittings, furniture, wharves, bolts, axe-handles, 
•carriages, wheels, and everything else that timber is used for ; 




SHIFTING LUMBER IN A FOREST OF TAYABAS. 

besides some exquisite pink, red, yellow, and veined varieties, 
capable of high polish, and suitable for veneering and for dye- 
woods. The saps of many trees, also, give a hard, durable glaze. 

Magnificent orchids abound in all parts of the Philippines. One 
specimen was recently sold for $500. And there are rubber trees 
that have hardly been worked, but have, nevertheless, a future 
of great importance. 



THE BAMBOO PLANT AND ITS USES. 

The most beautiful plant in the colony is bamboo. It grows 
everywhere except in marshy places— on the hills, along the banks 
of rivers, in open spaces, and in woods. Groups of bamboos are 
invariably cultivated by the natives in the vicinity of their homes. 



Useful Woods and Plants. 253 

It has a light, feathery, tufted top, that waves in the slightest breeze 
and gives a spirited look to the landscape. It frequently grows to 
the height of fifty or sixty feet, is from five to eight inches in 
diameter, and strongly jointed, every joint strengthened by an 
inside web. 

There are also many smaller kinds. 

The plant is constantly propagated by the natives from young 
shoots ; for bamboo-sticks always bring their price in Manila 
markets, according to size and season. There are several varieties ; 
and the uses to which they are put are endless, the wood being 
tough, flexible, and elastic. 

From bamboo-sticks huts, houses, and churches are made ; and 
even roofed and thatched. For the latter, however, nipa palm and 
cogon grass are preferred. Bridges are constructed of them several 
hundred feet in length, over which a drove of elephants could 
safely cross ; they are used in the making of furniture, walls, 
flooring, rafts, scaffolding, carts, baskets, vessels to contain liquid, 
land measures for wheat, organs, and small instruments, and every 
kind of household utensil used by the natives. They are used, 
also, for weapons, for cordage, for hats, for mats, for palings, for 
carrying poles, for blowers to a furnace, and for condensing-pipes 
in making brandy, — and for a hundred other articles of amusement 
or convenience. 

Bamboo-leaves are eaten by horses and cattle, and its tender 
shoots by man. In one variety of the cane a stone is occasionally 
found. This the Indians believe will heal sickness. In another 
kind is a white substance used to allay inflammation of the eye. 
This disease is very common in the colony, owing to the intensity 
of the sun-rays. 

The rattan, or calamus family, is very much like the bamboo, and 
its varieties are only a little less useful. One kind, the bojo, is 
used for much the same things that the lighter bamboo is. 

THE BEJUCO ROPE. 

' The bejuco,or bush rope, a rattan, is sometimes three hundred 
feet long ; indeed, it is said to have been found on one of the 



254 



The Philippine Islands. 



islands three times that length. It is used for rope, cords, or cable ; 
to bind hemp-bags, sugar-bales, and bundles ; to lash together 
whatever breaks down or gives way, in house, harness, carriage, 
cart, machiner}^ or package ; in the city street, in the country, on 
the mountain, in the wilderness. The thickest bejuco is used for 




NATIVES TRANSPORTING LUMBER TO THE COAST. 



rafts and cables, and, in conjunction with bamboo, for the making 
of suspension bridges. And the delicate fibres are woven into 
cloth, and even made into hats and cigar cases. 



Useful Woods and Plants. 25j 

THE USEFUL COCOANUT PALM. 

Cocoanut plantations are among the surest sources of revenue 
in the Philippines. The fruit is in demand in every market in the 
world— as much so as oranges and lemons ; and everj^ part of the 
tree can be sold. It thrives best on sandy soil, near the sea-shore, 
and cocoanut-groves are expected to produce a profit of $250 an 
acre annually. 

In many provinces this palm is cultivated for the oil only, which 
is then used either at home or is shipped to Europe. In the 
European climate it is solid and is made into soap and candles. 
In the islands the heat reduces it to a liquid, which is used for 
oiling machinery, for lighting, and for cooking purposes. The 
nightly terror of the region is a possible impending earthquake, 
and so in every house or hut a tiny light burns from dark to dawn : 
a glass is half-filled with water ; on top is poured a small quantity 
of cocoanut oil, and in this floats a wick, protected by a strip of 
tin. This arrangement has the illuminating qualities of a brilliant 
firefly, but in cases of illness or fright other lamps can be lighted 
quickl}^, and the panic of darkness averted. 

The majority of the inhabitants use cocoanut oil from reasons 
of econom5^ The factories are small bamboo huts, and the pro- 
cess primitive. The nuts are first dried, then halved and scraped, 
— an eas}^ process while the pulp is fresh. The mass is then 
pressed, to express the oil, and the refuse boiled in order to obtain 
what is left of the fatty substance. This is skimmed off. The whole 
is then packed into kegs, and is ready for the markets of Manila or 
Madrid. The meat of the nut is eaten as food by the natives, or 
made into sweets. The milk, or water, is a refreshing and harm- 
less drink, and makes good vinegar also. The shell is carved into 
household utensils, and when burnt makes a valuable dye. Every 
part of the tree is used. The native dwells in a house made of 
the trunk and thatched with the leaves. From it he obtains light, 
fire, rope, brushes, mats, furniture, clothing, and, in fact, all the 
necessaries of life. In Europe and America the coir, or outer 



^56 



The Philippine Islands. 



covering of the cocoanut shell, is made into ropes and cocoa- 
matting. 

Besides all this, the sap of the tree forms a delightful beverage, 
called tuba. Incisions are made high up in the flowering stalk, 
and underneath these cuts, vessels are hung to the tree, in order 
to catch the liquor as it falls. This is removed at sunrise and 
sunset, and is served fresh at the different houses. For it there is 




THE YOUNG PROPRIETOR OF A COCOANUT GROVE GATHERING TUBA. 



a daily demand. The dealer, too, has it for sale in the market- 
place. 

A distilled wine is also made from this, called cocoa-wine. Tuba 
trees are never used for fruit, as the loss of the sap deprives them 
of their producing-power. And tuba-gathering is extremely dan- 
gerous. The natives are obliged to climb to a great height to make 
the incisions and gather the liquor, and a false step means certain 
death. 



Useful Woods and Plants. 257 

OPPRESSIVE REGULATIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT. 

The Government is very jealous of foreign growers. There is a 
well-known case of a }'oung Englishman that invested in a cocoa- 
nut grove, a few years ago, not far from Manila. He was ruined 
in a short time by taxes and exactions — on the score that he was 
not a native. The real reason, however, was the fear that his 
success would draw round him a British colony. 

On the other hand, Spaniards and natives find no difficul'iy to 
obtain concessions from the Government, under promise of culti- 
vating the land so taken. The regulations are so vague or so 
impossible, that they are inevitably broken. The proprietor, too, 
is never sure of his land : it can be forfeited by disobedience ; and 
lawsuits are constantly going on between the individual and the 
State. 

This condition of affairs is of course annoying to everyone 
concerned, yet no one ever thinks of changing the laws. To a 
Spaniard, what was good enough for his grandfather is quite good 
enough for himself. 

THE EARLY MISSIONARIES BENEFICIAL TO THE NATIVES. 

The early missionaries from Mexico were of the greatest benefit 
to the Filipinos, both in the religious and in the practical alifairs of 
life. They introduced the . use of wheat and maize, taught the 
natives how to cultivate these articles of food, and, when ripe, how 
to make them into bread. But there were many stubborn preju- 
dices to overcome ; and for a long time wheat was eaten by the 
natives only in the holy wafer used in the sacrament of the Church. 

Now, wheat-patches are common, and in many districts maize 
is as much a staple article of food as rice is in others, and roasted 
ears of corn are sold as a delicacy in the markets. There are three 
crops of maize grown in a year, but only for family use. 

The missionaries also introduced the art of weaving, and all 
through the islands a primitive bamboo-loom is one of the com- 
moner implements of the smallest hut. Here are woven fabrics 



258 



The Philippine Islands. 



of cotton, silk, hemp, bamboo, and pina, — the fibre of the pine- 
apple leaf. The mere- 
ly well-to-do and poor- 
er classes wear clothes 
woven of cotton, silk, 
and pina, or of pina 
and hemp, or of hemp 
or bamboo. But the 
glory of the wealthy, 
Spaniard or Meztizo, 
man or woman, are 
their garments of pure 
pineapple-leaf fibre, 
called jusi. This is 
durable and almost 
priceless. A small jusi 
handkerchief is worth 
$50. So delicate is 
the thread, that, in 
weaving, it is protect- 
ed by gauze from the 
gentlest breeze. The 
costliness of the ma- 
terial, therefore, is due 
to the difficulties of 
the weaver and to the 
time and patience 
necessary to produce 
even a single inch. 

The missionaries, as 
well, taught the native 
the arts of living ; of 
being more comfort- 
able in his house, and 
out of it ; of making 

bricks and tiles, and of building and adorning churches. And 




A WEALTHY MESTIZA OF THE UPPER CLASS. 



Useful Woods and Plants. 



259 



thus they stood between an exacting Government and the helpless 
natives, and were often the only Providence of which the latter 
were aware. 

Herbs and medicinal plants abound in the islands. The bark 
of the dita tree greatly resembles that known as Peruvian Bark, 
and is used by the natives to reduce fever. From it an alkaloid is 
extracted that is called by Manila chemists, ditame. Its effects 
are like those produced by swallowing quinine, only not so 
marked. 

A perfume called Ylang-Ylang, is made from the flowers of a 
tree of that name that grows in the Philippines. 

Large quantities of wax are found there, and are used in the 
functions of the Church. Indeed, the poor priests constantly 
gather candle-ends at the close of each service, and sell them to 
be remoulded. The small sums of money thus gained are deemed 
a part of their perquisites. 
17 





Mineral Wealth of the Islands. 



EARLY SEARCH FOR GOLD. 

nINING for gold was unquestionabl}- practiced in the Philip- 
pines long before the time of Magellan, and incredible stories 
were told b}^ Spanish conquerors of the rich deposits on the 
islands, and of the weight and beauty of the bracelets, necklets, 
and anklets of pure metal worn by the natives. But the cruelty 
and robberies of Mexico and Peru were repeated there, and the 
Indians yielded their jewels and hoards to the ruthless con- 
queror. 

Galleon after galleon sailed to Spain laden with the precious 
dust, and enormous rewards were bestowed upon pilot and 
captain that should convoy the treasure safely home. Winds, 
waves, and rocks were not the only enemies of the Spanish 
mariner, either. England has always had a hankering for the 
Philippines, and her fleets accordingly went out of their way 
many a time to despoil Spain. In his voyage round the world. 
Sir Francis Drake seized two prize-ships filled with island-gold, 
in token of whose riches one of his cruisers swaggered into the 
port of London with damask sails and silken cordage. And in 
the eighteenth century Anson's fleet hovered for years in the 
neighborhood of the Philippines, a rich prize occasionally his 

reward. 

260 



Mineral Wealth of the Islands. 261 

THE MINING LAWS AND METHODS OF THE COLONY, 

The mining laws of the colony are extremely liberal in charac- 
ter ; almost any one — Spaniard, native, or foreigner — that discovers 
a mine, and reports it to the. Government, is allowed to work it. 
Certain regulations exist, however, that must be strictly observed. 
The mine has to be worked uninterruptedly eight months of the 
year ; no less than eight laborers shall be employed at a time ; 
and it must be under the inspection of the Mining Department 
of the State. 

The gold of these islands is produced by washing and digging. 
The tools that the natives use — a washing-board and a wooden 
bowl — are of great antiquity, and are invariably seen among the 
household utensils in the gold regions. Large deposits of gold 
are found in the beds of streams, and sometimes, after heavy 
rains, grains of the precious metal may be picked up in the streets 
of the small villages. 

No Indian ever works systematically, or lays up anything for a 
possible future time of need. The tax-gatherer is at hand, and in 
a desultory way the native manages to get sufficient of the 
wherewithal to satisfy his greed. Or a holiday approaches, and 
there must be a few dollars to gamble away in the cock-pit. All 
this is done in the intervals of other work, — the planting of his 
own land, or the gathering of the rice-harvest for his employer. 
The gold lies about him, upon which he can draw at pleasure 
for his extra relaxations or needs. It is always there, has always 
been, will always be there. Why should he trouble himself 
further ? 

Mining, scientifically considered, as carried on in Europe and 
in America, is unknown in the Philippines. Nevertheless, from 
the first, so far as draining is concerned, operations have been 
conducted on sound engineering principles. The natives cling 
to ancient customs, and reject explosives of every sort, using 
instead the work of myriads of human hands ; but they have 
been rewarded by obtaining thousands of ounces of gold. 

For instance, in draining the mines, the shafts are filled with 



Mineral Wealth of the Islands. 263 

men that bail out the water with small buckets made of palm 
leaf, and holding about two gallons. These are passed from 
hand to hand, and this seems to serve their purpose quite as well 
as a more modern method. To an Anglo-Saxon the slowness of 
the process would, of course, be intolerable. The natives wash 
the river-sands, or grind the alluvial deposits between stones. 
In the latter instance the whole mass is thrown into grates, when 
the metal sinks to the bottom. In the mines the rocks are 
broken with hammers, and the quartz pulverized between mill- 
stones ; then dissolved. B}' this means the gold is separated. 

The inhabitants of one province cut a basin in the top of a 
mountain and conducted water to it through canals of palm-leaf. 
As they dug, the stratifications of gold revealed themselves and 
the quartz was detached. In another province a hillock has 
been cut down to sea-level, and large quantities of paying quartz 
must have been obtained, as the natives never work long without 
reward. 

Mambulao is on the island of Luzon. It means in Bicol lan- 
guage, " the place of gold." Here is an abandoned mine, worked 
by the ancient methods. The records say that, in its time, it pro- 
duced weekly sales of gold, amounting to one thousand ounces. 

On the other hand, the Spaniards have conducted their mining 
operations without enterprise and without ingenuity, and during 
the last twenty-five years they have spent nearly a million and a 
half dollars, with results that are totally unsatisfactory. 

There are several reasons for this state of affairs : The gold 
mines are mostly in remote provinces of the colony, and there 
are no practical roads. The natives that are employed — because 
they live in the vicinity of the mines — are half-subjected, totally 
uncivilized, and frequently nomadic. They accordingly resent 
interference with property that they deem their inalienable rights. 
And in this they are supported by the friars : they also dislike 
change. 

Since 1894 the agents of the Philippines' Mineral Syndicate — 
an English concern— have been vigorously exploring for gold and 
the other metals, and in time American capital and intelligence 



264 The Philippine Islands. 

will probably do what Spanish ignorance and inertness have 
failed to accomplish. 

WHERE THE PRECIOUS METAL IS FOUND. 

Till now, much of the gold found has been near the coast, and 
accessible. The principal districts are Mambulao, in Luzon, the 
islands of Cion, Mindoro, Mindanao, and Panaon, a small island 
north of Mmdanao. It is a well-known fact that the natives in 
the interior of Luzon, a district only partly explored, traffic ia 
gold. And it is believed that the mountains in the centre of the 




ANOTHER GLIMPSE OF THE GREAT STONE-BRIDGE. 

island are the sources of the alluvial deposits so freely gathered. 
In the districts mentioned there is not a stream — however small — 
that does not bear in its sands some evidence of the presence of 
gold ; and heavy nuggets are occasionally brought in from the 
interior. 

For the present, however, only the edges of the gold districts- 
can be worked. The absence of roads must long prove an insuper- 
able obstacle even to English and American capital and inven- 



Mineral Wealth of the Islands. 265 

tiveness. To the Indians this is no obstacle at all. They march 
along contentedly, in single file, cutting their way with bowie- 
knives through dense and almost impenetrable forests, their 
burden the primitive instruments of their ancestors ; their power 
lying in numbers, and in the invincible strength of the naked 
hand. 

But modern methods require machinery, and machinery 
requires roads for its transportation and for bridges, and for all the 
costly engineering staff and outfit. The proper development of 
the gold districts of the islands will therefore, necessarily, be a 
thing of the future. English or American enterprise, if devoted 
to this purpose, must find its reward near the coast, and in the 
vicinity of harbors and navigable rivers. 

So far, gold is known only in placer-deposits, and these not very 
rich, as compared with the golden sands of California or the gravel 
pits of Alaska. Personally, I know but little about these gold 
gravels, having seen only some of their results. They are so widely 
distributed, and are worked in so desultory a manner, that their 
actual richness is a matter of guess-work. 

But, as is well known, the gold of streams comes from quartz- 
veins in the mountains, which have been worn away and washed 
down by the rains during the long ages, then carried down stream, 
with the mud and the gravel of the rock debris, and gradually 
sinking to the bottom. There may be rich rock-veins in the in- 
terior, at the head of those gold-paved water channels. But I have 
made no search for these mother-beds ; neither have the Spanish. 

Many Chinese enter the gold districts, penetrating into the 
most distant parts, and exchanging their wares for gold, which is 
sent to China in ways known to themselves alone. Paracale is a 
prosperous village in the interior of Luzon, and " Paracale " 
gold is well known in Manila on account of its shape, — the metal 
being melted in shells, that give it form. Every small shell bears 
the mark of the Chinese testing-auger; its fineness seldom 
exceeds sixteen carats. Paracale is near the Mambulao district, 
already mentioned, and is famous for its abandoned mine and for 
its gold-washings. 



Mineral Wealth of the Islands. 267 

THE WHOLE COUNTRY A VIRGIN MINE. 

In fact, the whole country waits in virgin richness to be ex- 
ploited by a wide-awake people, and now the outcome of the 
land falls into the hands of the Americans. In my own mind I 
am convinced that gold is to be had in paying quantities for the 
. mining, if hunted for by some of that enterprising people that 
have recently dug up such wealth in the frozen river-beds of 
the Yukon. Spain held California for centuries, and picked up 
not even an ounce of gold from its broad acres. The Americans, 
on the other hand, found it teeming with gold ; and in the first 
year of their possession too. 

The same may be said of Alaska. Russia found it hardly worth 
the keeping, and sold it at a low price to the United States. To-day 
it could not be bought back for a hundred times the price paid 
for it. 

Such may prove to be the case with the Philippines. They 
wait to be exploited. Spain has held them for centuries, and 
knows next to nothing about them. I venture to affirm that the 
United States would not hold them ten years before they would 
be veritable mines of wealth. I am satisfied, too, that they are 
far richer in gold, iron, coal, and some other minerals than is 
suspected. But this can be proved only by a stirring people, 
that will cut their way through the tropical jungles, explore the 
hill-country from base to summit, and cover the islands with 
a network of rails, — the iron nerves of modern enterprise. 

The country sadly needs opening up and developing. It is 
running over with rich possibilities. But it wants brains and 
hands. I know that it can be made enormously prolific if proper 
energy be devoted to the task. 

PRECIOUS STONES AND IRON. 

An English engineer, in the employ of the Mineral Syndicate, 
told me that in some gold alluvial-deposits brought to him by 
the aborigines in the interior of Luzon, he had discovered small 



Mineral Wealth of the Islands. 269 

stones. Subsequent investigations and tests proved them to be 
rubies and hyacinths. Granted. But I have never heard of 
precious stones outside of that district ; nor do I believe they 
exist in any quantity there. 

There is plenty of iron, of excellent quality, in I^uzon and in 
the other islands. There are some deserted mines near Alanila 
that were once worked by the Government ; but they have been 
idle for more than a century. About the year 1750, by promises 
of great concessions to the State, a Spaniard named Salyado obtained 
possession of a large iron mine in the district of Morong. Find- 
ing the Indians too indolent to help him, he hired Chinese. He 
was then attacked by the Church, on the score of employing 
inhdel labor, and eventually he was obliged to send his work- 
men back to China at his own expense. He was further refused a 
market for his ore, because, it was said, it was the result of 
infidel labor. Hence, he found himself ruined. The Govern- 
ment thus adopted a plan to get the valuable mine into its own 
hands again, after which its interest ceased. 

Near Angat, early in this century, two Englishmen introduced 
expensive machinery, and proceeded to mine for iron. They 
were so cheated by the natives, and received so little in return 
for the large sums expended, that they simultaneously committed 
suicide, by blowing out their brains. 

PECULIAR METHODS OF MINING COPPER. 

Copper is found in many parts of the Philippines, but in very 
small quantities. In the mountain-ranges in the centre of 
Luzon, however, deposits have been worked by the natives 
from a time long before that of the Spaniards. They soften the 
rocks by wood fires and then maive excavations, separating the 
ore according to quality. Their furnaces are holes lined with 
clay, and they use blowers of bamboo to produce the necessary 
draught. 

The Spaniards recently took hold of the mines, introducing 
the most expensive machinery and the latest methods ; but they 



Mineral Wealth of the Islands. 271 

failed where the natives had succeeded, and their enterprise 
collapsed. The Indians still work them on a small scale. 

The engineers of the syndicate also found a very curious 
deposit of copper in one of their concessions. This consists of 
round or pear-shaped nuggets of the metal, with traces of both 
gold and silver in their composition. 

• OTHER MINERALS AND THE COAL-FIELDS. 

The Archipelago is said to be of volcanic formation, and 
unlimited quantities of sulphur exist on many of the islands. 
Red lead, silver, and gypsum were also found, and marble, 
capable of a high polish. 

There are extensive coal fields in Luzon and Cebii, but it is 
mostly of a poor quality, known by the trade as lignite. It is 
used in coaling steamers, but not when long voyages are to be 
taken. Five thousand tons per month could be procured in 
Cebii alone, if carriage were provided ; yet nearly all the coal 
used is imported from Australia. 

A few years ago an American vessel was wrecked on the coast 
of Mindoro. The captain and his men crossed to a port on the 
east coast, over the mountains, living for seventeen days in the 
woods on nuts. They reported great ledges of out-cropping coal 
in the hill-country, and that thousands of tons had broken off and 
fallen to the foot of the cliffs. The Spanish Government im- 
mediately confiscated the lands ;— and that was the last of the 
matter. 

The coal field in Luzon lies in the southern part. A lead 
cropping out at Gatho is from ten to twenty feet in thickness. 
This has proved useful for steamboat service. The coal of Cebu 
was first discovered in 1827. It is found on the western slopes 
of the island, and seemingly extends under the straits, appearing 
again on the eastern slopes of the neighboring island, Negros. 
At least five beds have been opened, which vary in quality and 
thickness ; but exploration has not been actively conducted. 

Once more: The Spanish masters of the island have done little 



272 



The Philippine Islands. 



to develop its mineral resources. It is therefore impossible to 
say how rich it may be in coal. The find reported by the 
American captain lies fallow, no effort havmg been made even 
to prove its truth or to test its value. It was in the mountainous 
interior, and, hence, would demand railroads and other public 
improvements for its working, and the Spanish find it more con- 
venient to enjoy life lazily in Manila than to disturb their easy 
existence by any such activity. 

To those minerals mentioned I may add quicksilver, lead, sul- 
phate, and vermilion. As yet, the veins of lead and quicksilver 
have yielded no results of value, and probably they possess none. 
But they have been discovered in many localities and may be 
found in others ; possibly, too, of greater richness. 

Perhaps the iron of the Philippines offers the best opening for 
enterprise. As I have said, it occurs in many sections, and is of 
excellent quality, pure and rich, but it was actually worked a 
century ago with more energy than it is to-day. It is capable of 
yielding great results to an enterprising people. The Philippines 
fell like a rich jewel into the hands of Spain,. but have been left 
by them in their uncut state. They remain like a rough dia- 
mond, needing only the work of the lapidary — America — to show 
to the world their full beauty and value. 





Animal Life in the Colony. 



THE USEFUL BUFFALO, AND OTHER DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 



AMONG the domesticated animals of the Phihppines the buffalo 
stands first ; the delight and pride of the low-class native 
being in his carabao, as he designates this animal. It is 
easily domesticated, and is regarded with affection by its owner, 
being a very different animal from the wild buffalo of the Asiatic 
and African wilds, — one of the most savage of beasts. 

At six years of age the tamed buffalo is put to work as a draught 
animal, and when twelve years old it remains strong enough for 
five years more of light labor. The buffalo is the plough-horse of 
the islands. The plough is a very primitive affair — a heavy stick of 
wood sharpened to a point at one end, with a beam attached by rat- 
tan thongs, about two feet above the point to which the buffaloes are 
hitched, and with a handle for the ploughman at the right end, con- 
sisting of a round bar of wood, inserted in an auger hole. 

The buffalo is amphibious in habit, and if left to itself will spend 
a considerable part of the time in mud and water. It is capable of 
keeping its head under water for two minutes at a time, exploring 
the bottom of streams or pools for certain favorite plants. To it a 
daily mud-bath is one of the necessities of life. He will fling him- 
self on his side in the mire, and shuffle round and round until he is 

covered to the eyes with a mortar-like substance. When he has 
1 8 " 273 



274 



The Philippine Islands. 



dried himself in the sun he looks like a huge clay image. This 
strange habit is not without its useful purpose. Millions of sting- 
ing flies swarm among the rank vegetation of his habitat, and till 
his rnud-coat peels off the animal is impregnable to their vicious 
attacks. 

At work in the field he has certain feathered companions, — 
usually five or six white herons, — that follow him and feed on the 
worms and insects that his heavy tread brings to the surface. A 




A BUFFALO IN HARNESS : HARROWING THE SOIL. 



more friendly attendant is a small black bird, that hops on the back 
of the great creature, and cleanses its ears of the vermin that 
harbor there. 

By the native owner the buffalo is treated with the utmost kind- 
ness, a warm affection existing between the family and their patient, 



Animal Life in the Colony. 275 

docile laborer. Easy to train, and slow in movement, it can be 
guided by a child three years old, and will move or halt with readi- 
ness at the call of any of the family. Yet, strong as it is, it cannot 
work for more than two hours without rest, and cannot exist at a 
distance from streams. 

Epidemic diseases sometimes break out among these animals 
and destroy thousands of them. An old acquaintance of mine once 
lost in this way nearly the whole of his live-stock in one season. 
Buffaloes are not much needed in the hemp districts, where there 
is no ploughing done, but are very necessary on the sugar planta- 
tions. Their price varies accordingly. Wild ones, when caught 
}'oung, are easily tamed and trained by kindness, which the low- 
class native bestows freely. Buffalo-hunting is very dangerous ; for 
the animal in his native jungle fights to kill or be killed ; there- 
fore, only the calves are captured alive. Buffalo-meat makes excel- 
lent food, and its flesh, cut into strips, and sun-dried, is much 
relished by the natives. < 

Horses are not native to the islands. The ponies that are found 
there in large quantities are descended from the Andalusian horse 
and the Chinese mare. • They are swift and strong when cared 
for, but are treated with horrible cruelty by the natives. These 
ponies, having an Arab strain, are sensitive and nervous, easily 
gtiided by kindness ; whereas, on the other hand, they are infuriated 
by mismanagement. The native riders often first goad them to 
madness and then punish them viciously. This seems to arise 
more from a misunderstanding between the two animals than from 
definite cruelty on one hand and obstinacy on the other ; and the 
contests witnessed daily in the streets of Manila are not more 
painful than ridiculous. 

The oxen sold in Manila markets do not yield very palatable beef, 
being fattened on an herb that they are very fond of, but that gives 
to the flesh a taste the reverse of agreeable. 

In fact, neither fish, flesh, nor fowl has the same taste as those 
of Europe and America, and newcomers to Manila have to acquire 
a taste for these viands. Of course they are all right with those 
"to the manner born." 



276 



The Philippine Islands. 



Sheep are not indigenous to the soil, and do not thrive there, 
languishing and dying within a few months. 

The other domestic animals include goats, dogs, cats, pigs, 
monkeys, and the ordinary fowls. The dogs and cats are of inferior 
breed, a peculiarity in the cats being twisted tails. Among the 
viands that foreigners seem to approve, is stewed monkey, but 
the natives will not touch it except as a medicine, they deeming it 
of value in cutaneous diseases. 




IMBlWi 



nrnssffisiiiiiitiraiii' 





GRAND-STAND, SANTA MESA ; WHERE THE PONY RACES ARE RUN. 



REPTILES, BATS, AND INSECTS. 

Reptiles and insects abound both in the jungles and in the vil- 
lages. In the latter they are, indeed, more numerous than is agree- 
able to strangers. Among them are lizards, frogs, snakes, centipedes, 
tarantulas, spiders of great size, hornets, beetles, ants, and myriad 
other inmates of the minor world. The snakes while usually harm- 
less are not always so ; one species, — the manapo,— found in the 



Animal Life in the Colony. 277 

rice-fields, haunts the mud and the tall rice-blades ; its bite is fatal 
if not immediately cauterized. Leeches are numerous in swamps 
and stagnant pools, and one tiny species, found in dense forests 
only, has the disagreeable habit of leaping from the trees upon 
passers-by, and at once beginning its blood-imbibing habit. 

Boa-constrictors are the giant members of the serpent family. 
They are rare, and when caught are caged. Large as they are, 
little dread is felt of them, they being far less dangerous than the 
manapo, the small tenant of the rice-fields. 

Bats are numerous, and some of them are of enormous size, 
measuring five feet from tip to tip of the wings, and with a body 
almost as large as a cat. One of these uncanny creatures, gone 
astray from its native haunts, flew into the dining-room of a Manila 
hotel once where I was dining. Its appearance was appalling : 
women shrieked and fainted, men rolled under the tables, and an 
earthquake could hardly have made more commotion. These 
huge bats are much hunted by Europeans, and their soft skins are 
eagerly purchased by those that are returning home. 

A FIELD F'OR THE SPORTSMAN. 

The Philippines abound in game ; deer and wild boars being 
plentiful ; while the game-birds include pheasants, snipe, pigeons, 
woodcock, ducks, and other water-fowl. There are also hawks, 
cranes, herons, parrots, parroquets, and many species peculiar to 
the islands. Among the latter, we are told of a small black bird of 
the swallow-kind that makes its nest in the tails of wild horses, — 
a story more easily told than believed. Other fables concerning 
birds are extant, one describing the "solitary" bird, which dies 
when captured ; one, the calayo, which has a large, transparent bill, 
and crows like a cock ; one, the bocuit, a bird of seven colors and 
the sweetest of notes. There is a curious pigeon with a crimson 
spot on the breast, which looks like a blood-stain from a wound. 

Of aquatic creatures, tortoises are of considerable commercial 
importance. They march in from the sea in great numbers, and 
the natives turn them on their backs to prevent them from escaping. 



278 



The Philippine Islands. 



leaving them in this helpless state until they are ready to remove 
them. 

Quantities of small fish are caught in the rice-paddy fields when 
they are flooded ; and the rich Indians are fond of a curious kind 
of beetle found in stagnant waters, which will bring in the markets, 
in the season, as high as fifty cents a dozen. They eat many things 
that would be repulsive to a foreigner. 




AT THE NATIONAL SPORT : JUST BEFORE THE CONTEST. 



Among the lizards there is a little creature, known as the guiko, 
that frequents houses, and whose noise is very annoying. It is 
not a fair representative of the " cricket on the hearth." It has its 



Animal Life in the Colony. 279 

value, however, being useful in destroying vermin. It clings with 
remarkable tenacity, even when dying, to the piece of timber on 
which it is placed, the soles of its feet seeming to be provided with 
suckers. 

There are few scenes in nature more beautiful than a bush or 
tree when lighted with the brilliant fireflies that illuminate the 
forests at night. They seem almost to have a system of fire-teleg- 
raphy, answering, as they do, each other by a sudden glow of a 
delicate green hue, which gleams in quick succession from point to 
point of the bush. 

THE LOCUST SCOURGE. 

The great scourge of the Philippines is the locust. It will not 
touch the hemp plantations, but menaces and devastates almost 
everything else green or growing. In 1851 the Government im- 
ported some martins from China, for the extermination of the pest. 
They were received by a procession of soldiers, with a band of 
music, and the cages containing them were carried in state to 
Santa Mesa, where the birds were turned loose. The severest pen- 
alties were then prescribed for any person that should kill a martin. 
According to latest accounts, however, the locusts still flourish. 

The injury done by these pests to cultivated lands is always 
serious, often disastrous. Miles of ripened crops may be devoured 
in a single night. When the locust-army makes its descent by 
day, preparing to attack a planted field, the natives do their best to 
drive it away by dint of noise and glare, beating tin cans, rattling 
bamboo-choppers, waving scarlet flags. Others make a dense 
smoke, by setting fire to damp straw and other fuel. The insects 
are very sensitive to noise, and the firing of small mortars, which 
the natives use at feasts, is a very useful locust-dispeller. 

In general appearance the locust looks like a large grasshopper ; 
of a light reddish-brown hue in the males, and a darker brown in the 
females. The eggs are laid in the ground, which is pierced to the 
depth of an inch by the auger-like ovipositor of the female. She con- 
tinues this process of egg-laying every few days, if allowed to settle. 



28o The Philippine Islands. 

Two or three weeks are necessary for the hatching. The grubs 
cannot be driven to flight, as their wings do not sprout for about ten 
days, and they set themselves diligently to work to eat their till, 
making havoc in the growing crops. Though they cannot fly, they 
can jump, and the plan adopted to dispose of them is to form a bar- 
rier of sheet-iron at one side of the field, dig a pit before it, and 
set a number of men to beat up the small game around the other 
three sides of the field. In this way the young locusts may be 
driven in heaps into the pit, and there destroyed. I have seen in- 
stances where tons of these destructive pests were thus slain. 

Locusts have been known to travel as far as sixty miles out to 
sea. It is a curious fact, that, they avoid for several years a 
province where large quantities of their number have been swal- 
lowed up and destroyed by an earthquake. 

Aside from their destroying growing-crops, these insects are per- 
fectly harmless ; little children play with them, and older people eat 
them, fried locust being esteemed a great delicacy by the poor-class 
natives. I can vouch for one instance in which the inhabitants of 
a certain village offered to pay the parish priest if he would say mass 
for the continuance of this luxury. The scourge is thus a terror to 
the planter, but a boon to his poor laborers. 

THE CHIEF NUISANCES : MOSQUITOES AND ANTS. 

To repeat : Among the chief nuisances in the Philippines are mos- 
quitoes and ants. The ordinary bed is a hemp mat, without sheets, 
but never without ample mosquito nets, in the absence of which 
sleep would be banished. The white ants are indeed formi- 
dable ; not like the locusts, feeding on green things growing, but 
destroying dry wood and vegetable fibre, wherever found. They 
can literally devour a house ; and I have been gravely told that even 
the surface of iron is not safe from their ravages. 

Many anecdotes are extant concerning the silent, hidden, and 
rapid ravages of these aggressive insects, working entirely out of 
sight, yet finding their way by a sure instinct to anything that will 
serve them for food. In one aggravating instance, happening in 



The Philippine Islands. 



1838, the priests of a certain town had packed away, in a trunk of 
narra-wood, the various articles used in the service of the mass, 
including the robes, priests' garments, and so forth. The following 
day, March 19th, they were taken out and used, and in the evening 

restored to the trunk. On 
the 20th some dirt was 
seen near this receptacle, 
and it was opened. To 
the horror of all the priests, 
their sacred vestments had 
vanished ; nothing was 
left of them but a layer of 
dust and the gold and sil- 
ver lace, this being tar- 
nished by a filthy deposit. 
Yet not an ant was to be 
found in the trunk, nor 
in any part of the church ; 
and five days elapsed be- 
fore it was discovered how 
they had reached their 
prey. It was then found 
that they had eaten 
through a beam six inches 
thick, making a small hole, 
through which they ob- 
tained access to the trunk. 
Blind though they are, 
their other senses seem to 
be remarkably developed. 
They work from under- 
ground, never appearing at the surface, and will excavate a piece 
of furniture until it is a mere shell, and falls at a touch, yet not 
show the least vestige of a tunnel outside. 

One ignorant servant-girl had lent her earnings, in hard silver 
dollars, to a relative, and on asking to be repaid was gravely in- 




NATIVE SERVANT-GIRL. 



Animal Life in the Colony 



283 



formed that the money no longer existed — the white ants had 
eaten it. This preposterous story was believed by the girl, who 
was ready to accept any marvel that the white ants were credited 
with. 





Struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 



EARLY INSURRECTIONS AGAINST THE SPANIARDS. 

MANY and notable have been the struggles of the Filipinos 
to escape the yoke of the Spanish tyrant. But in all cases 
European intelligence and Spanish treachery proved too 
strong for the simple natives, and thus, after every revolt, the chains 
of servitude were riveted only more firmly. 

As early as 1622 there was a revolt on Bojol island, which was 
speedily quelled. The same year saw a great insurrection in Leyte, 
which was put down only after great difficulty. The leaders were 
all executed : some were garroted, others shot with arrows, and 
many burnt at the stake. 

Despite these extreme punishments, a rising took place iu 

Surigao, in the eastern part of Mindanao, in 1629, which lasted 

for three years. At last, weary of the tyranny of the church, 

the natives rose en masse and killed the priests. Expedition 

after expedition was sent from Manila ; and after much loss on 

the Spanish side, and a vigorous resistance on the part of the 

rebels themselves, the rebellion was brought to an end. But the 

peace that followed was destined to be of short duration. In 1649 

the Governor-General put into effect the odious press-law, which 

caused a general protest and a formidable revolt. A native, 
284 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 



285 



Sumoroy by name, killed a priest that had grievously wronged 
him, and led the insurrection. The Spanish soldiers, unable to 
apprehend him, discovered his mother, and literally tore her to 
pieces. Sumoroy, goaded into a very frenzy of vengeance, pursued 
his enemies with merciless hate, and many fell a victim to his 




BUFFALO TRAN'SPORTIN'G LUMHKR IN PAMPANGA. 



cruelty. He was finally betrayed by his own people and beheaded. 
His head was stuck on a pole and paraded through the province. 
Other chiefs then surrendered, on the condition of receiving a full 
pardon ; but the Spaniards forgot their fair promises, and promptly 
hanged them as soon as thev had them in hand. This rebellion 
also extended to other provinces, but was quelled by the proclama- 



286 The Philippine Islands. 

tion of a general amnesty. All those that took part in it, however, 
were, finally, executed or imprisoned. 

In 1660 there was another rising in Pampanga, where the natives 
were forced to cut down timber without payment. In Pangasinan 
province Andres Malong, a native, was declared King. He advanced 
toward the capital with a large army, gathering reinforcements on 
the way, till he had with him about 40,000 men. These were met 
by a small but well-armed Spanish force, and were routed. Most 
of the chiefs were captured and hanged. 

In 1744 a Jesuit parish priest, Morales, by his despotic manner 
and arrogance, embittered the natives of his flock. One of these, 
whose brother's body was left uninterred because his family could 
not furnish enough money to satisfy the unjust demands of the 
avaricious priest, led a party of natives against him. Morales was 
captured and executed, and his own body left in the sun. 
Dagohoy then raised the standard of revolt, and was joined by 
many thousands of his countrymen. He and his people thus 
maintained their independence for thirtj''-five years, when they 
finally submitted and were pardoned. On account of the strength 
and the multitude of the offenders in this insurrection the Spaniards 
were afraid to visit upon them the customary punishment ; they 
feared to provoke another rebellion. 

In 1823 a Creole, Andres Novales, conspired to seize the capital 
and to control the Government. He and his fellow-conspirators, 
however, were seized and executed. 

In 1827 there was a small rebellion in Ccbu, which was quelled 
by the friars. Another insurrection took place in Negros in 1844, 
when the Governor of the province was killed, because he made 
the natives work for his own private purpose. 

THE BURGOS REVOLT. 

In 1872 the friars were again the cause of a great revolt. Dr 
Joseph Burgos, a prominent native, led a party that urged the ex- 
clusion of the friars from parochial incumbencies. This had been 
promised at the council of Trent. The night of a suburban feast 



288 The Philippine Islands. 

was the time agreed upon by the natives for the attack. The 
native soldiers of the garrison were also in the plot ; and thus the 
arsenal was taken almost without a struggle, while the Europeans 
were now made the object of the attack. The latter rallied, 
however, and drove out the invaders. The arsenal was re-taken 
and many rebels were killed and taken prisoners. Burgos him- 
self, with three other native priests, was apprehended and executed 
on the old sea-wall by the Luneta, that spot so richly sanctified by 
the blood of patriot-heroes. 

Many others of the native clergy were banished. And ever since 
this revolt the native priests have been under suspicion, and 
native youths are no longer allowed to study for the priesthood. 
In this instance the insurgents had planned a revolutionary 
government, which, if successfully carried out, would have reflected 
great honor upon the leaders. 

THE PRESENT REBELLION. 

In August, 1896, the present rebellion was begun. The causes 
of this uprising were similar to those that caused the preceding 
insurrections ; the arrogance and the exactions of the friars, the 
oppressive taxes, the licenses and numerous fees, and other 
extortions practised by the Government officials were again the 
source of much discontent among the people. The natives, fur- 
thermore, were compelled to submit to usurious loans whenever 
they wished to raise money to carry on the various kinds of domestic 
enterprise. If a native was unable to satisfy the claims against 
him, his property was immediately confiscated by the Government. 
This power of confiscation was used most effectively against the 
well-to-do-natives, who thus were fleeced by the officials on the 
slightest pretext. 

THE KATIPUNAN. 

Smarting under these grievances, the natives formed a secret 
Revolutionary League, called the Katipunan, which soon numbered 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 289 

not less than 50,000 men. Cavite was the rebel stronghold, and 
from the day of its inception till the present time the rebellion has 
steadily grown; the barbarity and inhumanity of the Spaniards, now 
proverbial, have caused similar retaliations on the part of the rebels. 
And while this is not surprising, it is, nevertheless, surely to be 
deplored. 

If the civilized and religious Spaniard tortured his prisoners, — ■ 
by burning", smothering, disemboweling, and otherwise mutilating, — 
what was to be expected of the half-civilized ignorant native. He, 
however, displayed far more mercj' and greater magnanimity than his 
European enemy. The Spaniards, indeed, revived all the horrors 
of the inquisition, — the thumbscrew, the stake, and the rack. Is it a 
wonder that the Filipinos, rankling with the memory of a recent 
outrage and an ancient wrong, sometimes inflicted the same pun- 
ishments on the unfortunate Spaniards that fell into their hands? 

THE BLACK HOLE OF MANILA. 

For the rebels well knew that a policy of extermination had been 
declared against them. Was it not at a banquet in Manila that the 
Spanish officers made a compact to kill the savages like wild beasts 
in their lairs, and to show quarter to none ! We yet shudder when 
we think of the black hole of Manila, in which one hundred prison- 
ers were thrust one night, of whom sixty were found dead the 
next morning — because the one door that admitted air into the 
dungeon had been shut. We remember with horror, too, the 
executions of the rebels in Manila. 

The day of an execution was made a day of jubilee, when the 
elite of the city came out to grace the general rejoicing. It was 
eagerly looked forward to, and, in honor of the great event, all the 
prominent houses were decked in flags and bunting — the whole cit)^ 
in fact, assumed a holiday aspect. 

The execution usually took place in the cool of the morning, 
when the Luneta would be thronged with thousands of people, 
who came to witness this grand vindication of the honor of Spain. 
Nor was the fair sex lacking in these demonstrations of loyalty. 



290 



The Philippine Islands. 




Here come the victims, stolid and indifferent ; behind them march 

the soldiers, with measured tread. 

The condemned are 
then made to stand 
upon the old sea-wall, 
and, facing the sea, 
await their doom. 
The suspense be- 
comes intense ; a 
hush falls over the ex- 
pectant multitude, and 
a succession of sharp 
commands falls upon 
the morning air. An 
answering click and 
a scattered volley of 
shots, and the grim 
figures standing mute- 
ly on the sea-wall fall 
headlong to the 
ground, many stark 
and stiff, others writh- 
ing in agony. Hard- 
ly have the echoes of 
the shots died away, 
when a jubilant cheer 
bursts from the as- 
sembled multitude. 
Men toss their hats 
into the air ; and 
ladies, beautiful and 
fashionably dressed, 
are wavingtheir hand- 
kerchiefs and clapping: 



^^'i' 



L\ BELLA FILIPIVA I\ TROIBADOIR COST! ME 



their hands in an 
ecstasy of enthusiasm. The band bursts into triumphal music^ 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 291 

and there is great rejoicing. But ten thousand natives go back 
to their homes with murder in their hearts. 



THE FORBEARANCE OF THE NATIVES. 

And yet, notwithstanding this severe provocation, the rebels 
rarely attacked non-combatants, and seldom injured private property 
— an example of their self-restraint and their remarkable forbear- 
ance. This, too, is seen in their refrainmg from molesting the only 
railroad in the colony, whose traffic was, of course, an advantage to 
the Spaniards. This railroad is owned by an English company, 
and this fact alone saved it from destruction. 

It is also said that when the insurgents had made their plans to 
attack Manila, a list of all the foreigners and non-combatants was 
carefully prepared by their leaders. This, as may be supposed, 
was done so that these might be guarded from the pillage and 
slaughter that was sure to follow a successful assault of the thousands 
of infuriated natives, thirsting for the blood of their Spanish 
oppressors. It would also be no exaggeration to say, that the great 
majority of all the foreigners in the islands — Germans, English, 
Dutch, and Americans — were secretly in sympathy with the cause of 
the insurgents. And this is no cause for wonder, when one thinks of 
the many and various impositions that the Spanish Government 
and its unscrupulous ofificials have at every shadow of an opportu- 
nity practised upon them. The rebellion began in the province of 
Cavite, and was made formidable by the thousands of refugees 
driven away from their rude bamboo huts and tiny rice-fields by 
the Spaniards, come to pacify the province. 

THE REBEL ARMY. 

At first, the rebels were successful ; but when a large army, be- 
tween 15,000 and 20,000 fresh Spanish conscripts from the Peninsula, 
was sent against them, they were forced to retire ; and, accordingly, 
they entrenched themselves in the mountains near the capital. 
Here they built a considerable fortress, and though the greater 



292 



The Philippine Islands. 



part of the troops were without arms of any kind, they were, 
nevertheless, made subject to the most rigid discipline. Many of 
them, indeed, were engaged in the attempt to make their own 
fire-arms, and it can readily be surmised how crude and indifferent 
such weapons were. Those that could not secure guns, however, 
armed themselves with some other weapon ; and thus in the rebel 
army were to be seen all sorts and styles of instruments for offen- 
sive warfare, from the deadly native bolo to the large steel mowing 
scythe of European make. Only 1200 of the 7000 men that 
composed this camp possessed rifles ; yet, even thus poorly 




FOREIGNERS AT TIFFIN IN MANILA. 



equipped, for more than eighteen months they kept up a desultory 
but harassing war against 15,000 well-armed Spanish troops. 

Most interesting is the manifesto of the rebel leaders. Part of 
this document read as follows : 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 293 

We make no distinction of race. We appeal to all honorable men — to all who 
desire national dignity. All suffer alike, Filipinos and Asiatics, Americans and 
Europeans. We call upon all to help a down-trodden and tormented race — to 
restore a country destroyed, to raise a land degraded. We welcome all — excepting 
not even a Spaniard; for with us are some noble Spaniards, lovers of justice, and 
free from prejudice, who support our demands for individuality and national honor. 



THE TAGAL REPUBLIC PROCLAIMED. 

The Tagal Republic was proclaimed in October, 1896, and 
Andreas Bonifacio was chosen President. When Bonifacio died, 
a few months later, Aguinaldo was elected President and com- 
mander-in-chief. 

When General Primo de Rivera arrived from Spain to quell the 
rising insurrection, he attempted to end the insurrection by making 
various concessions, having been unable to do so by force. The 
rebel leaders were accordingly approached, and these, relying upon 
the fair promises of the Spaniards, made a treaty known as the 
Pact of Biaonabato, so named after the village where it was signed, 
December 14th, 1897. In this pact the following reforms are 
promised : 

The banishment, or at least, the disbanding, of the religious orders ; Philip- 
pine representation in the Cortes ; the same administration of justice for the 
natives as for the Spaniards ; unity of laws between the Philippines and Spain ; 
the natives to share the chief offices of the Philippine civil administration ; 
rearrangement of the property of the friars and of the taxes in favor of the 
natives ; recognition of the individual rights of the natives, with liberty of 
public meeting and of the press, and a general amnesty. 

In return for these concessions, Aguinaldo and the other leaders 
promised that if Rivera fulfilled these promised reforms, they 
would leave the country for three years ; and that they would stir 
up no insurrection against the Spanish Government during this 
period. The rebels then laid down their arms and surrendered 
their forts and ammunition, and, according to other provisions of 
the treaty, Aguinaldo received 400,000 pesetas, which were de- 
posited in the Hong-Kong and Shanghai Bank at Hong-Kong ; not 
for his own personal use, but as a fund, the interest of which, if 



294 The Philippine Islands. 

the Spaniards carried out their part of the agreement, was to be 
devoted to the education of native youth in England. 

In case the agreement was not carried out by the Spaniards, the 
money was to be used for arms and to renew the rebellion. 



TREACHERY OF THE SPANIARDS. 

And how did the Spaniards fulfil their part of the pact ? Rivera 
at no time proclaimed a general amnesty ; he denied the existence 
of the pact, and shot several leaders, who, relying on his promises, 
had returned to Manila. The rebellion was therefore renewed. 

Only lately, Aguinaldo has again been approached by the Spanish 
leaders, who promised to carry out the reforms stated in the pact 
' if he would combine with them against the Americans. The 
Captain-General, indeed, went so far as to create a Legislative 
Council, to which he appointed some of the leading men in the 
Tagal Republic. Aguinaldo treated his overtures with scorn ; for 
he well knew that these fair promises would, like those made 
before, be broken at the first opportunity. 

The most "powerful political organization in the islands is the 
Katipunan Society, already referred to, which has a membership of 
50,000. Each member of this body made a weekly contribution to 
the revolutionary fund. Among the Katipunans are a great many 
Freemasons, who are most bitter in their opposition to the friars. 
And not without reason ; for at one time more than 3,000 Masons 
were imprisoned by the friars, and fettered with irons. 

DR. JOSE RIZAL AND HIS WIFE, JOSEPHINE. 

The rebels were greatly encouraged by the presence in their 
ranks of many women, who not only incited them to battle, but 
often also took part themselves. Among these was Josephine 
Rizal, the wife of the unfortunate and lamented Dr. Rizal, — one 
of the leaders in this revolt. , 

Rizal was a native of high scientific acquirements, and had 



struggle of the Filipinos for Libei'ty. 



295 



considerable fame as a physician. He was also the president of 
ihe Manila University, and was deemed a leader in social and 
educational circles. But above all he was a patriot, and desired 
beyond all else the freedom of his country. He soon became 
the most ardent, as well as the most prominent, among the revo- 
lutionists, who looked 
upon him with awe. 
However, he was sus- 
pected, and he was 
exiled to Perin, on 
the island of Dopitan. 
There he performed 
a most difficult and 
successful operation 
on a p a t i e n t, — an 
I r i s h m a n, — whose 
daughter fell violently 
in love with him. 
Rizal was similarly 
affected, and the 
lovers were soon en- 
gaged. 

Not long after, Rizal 
was taken back to 
Manila for trial. He 
was condemned to 
death. On the morn- 
ing of his execution 
December 6th, 1896, 
his fiancee came to 
visit him. It was an affecting meeting— that last hour they were to- 
gether. A sadder trysting-place surely could not be imagined than 
that damp cell, over which the glimmering light of dawn cast a 
sepulchral gloom. 

And there, in that dreadful hour, on the brink of the grave, the 
unhappy pair were united. 




DR. JOSE RIZAL, THE MARTYRED LEADER OF THE PRESENT 
INSURRECTION. 



296 



The Philippine Islands. 



They remained together, kneeling, till the executioners came to 
lead the bridegroom away. 

Rizal's speech, at the place of execution, was powerful, dignified, 
eloquent. He spoke without a tremor, and said that he forgave 
his enemies, even as he himself hoped for forgiveness. He then 
predicted that the Spanish power would fall within the next ten 
years. He also asserted pride in his martyrdom, and said he 
was only sorry he did not have another life to offer for his country. 




AX KXF.CUTIOX OF INSFRCKXT CHIF.FS ON THE l.UXETA. 



EXECUTION OF RIZAL. THE PHILIPPINE JOAN OF ARC. 

At a signal from their commanding officer, the soldiers, that were 
drawn up back of the hero, fired a volley. Rizal fell forward on 
his face, pierced by seven Spanish bullets. The hero-martyr of 
the Philippines was dead. 

His widow instantly set out for the rebel camp at Imus, where 
she was hailed as a modern Joan of Arc. She was made com- 
mander of a body of insurgents, armed with rifles, and she showed 
her ability b}^ winning victory after victory over the Spanish troops. 
Her camp was at Naic — near Cavity. Since then, Mrs. Rizal has 
paid a visit to the United States, where she has been endeavoring 
to work up an agitation in behalf of her country. 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 



297 



RIVALS FARKWELL POEM. 

A few hours before his death, Dr. Rizal wrote a farewell poem, 
entitled " Mi Ultimo Pensamiento," the following translation of 
which was first given in the Nciv York Herald : 
Translation. 



My Last Thought. 



Farewell, adored fatherland ! Our Eden 

lost, farewell ! 
Farewell, O sun's lov'd region, pearl 

of the Eastern sea ! 
Gladly I die for thy dear sake : Yea, 

thou knowest well 
Were my sad life more radiant far than 

mortal tongue could tell 
Yet would I give it gladly, joyously 

for thee. 

On bloodstained fields of battle, fast 
locked in niadd'ning strife, 
Thy sons have dying blest thee, un- 
touched by doubt or fear. 

No matter wreaths of laurel ; no matter 
where our life 

Ebbs out. on scaffold, or in combat, or 
under torturer's knife. 
We welcome Death, if for our hearths, 
or for our country dear. 

I die while dawn's rich iris-hues are 

staining yet the sky, 
Heralds of the freer day still hidden 

from our view 
Behind the night's dark mantle. And 

should the morning nigh 
Need crimson, shed my heart's blood 

quickly, freely, let it dye 
The new-born light with th' glory of 

its ensanguined hue. 

My dreams when yet were ling'ring my 

childhood's careless years. 
My dreams, my hopes, when vigor 

pulsed in my youthful heart. 
Were that one day, gem of the East, 

thine eyes, undinimed with tears, 
Might darkly glow, that I might see un- 

wrinkled, free from fears. 
Thy lofty brow wherefrom for aye all 

blushes should depart. 



Hail unto thee, dreams of my life ! My 

dying soul doth cry 
All hail to thee ! And ye I hail, my 

aspirations deep 
.^nd ardent ! Oh, how sweet it is to fall 

beneath thy sky. 
To die that thou mayst live, and, for thy 

welfare high. 
In thine enchanted bosom eternally to 

sleep ! 

If on my grave, midst the thick grass, 

thou shouldst see spring one day 
A simple, humble flow'ret. Life victor 

over Death, 
Sweet symbol of my loving soul, ah, kiss 

the dew away. 
Approach to it thy gentle lips, that in 

my cold tomb I may 
Feel on my brow thy tender sigh, the 

soft warmth of thy breath. 

Let o'er my grave the placid moon shed 

its soft tranquil light ; 
Let cool dawn's fleeting splendor shine 

on my resting place ; 
Let the deep murmur of the wind caress 

it in tiie night ; 
And if above my lonely cross it stay its 

restless flight, 
'Twill breathe a prayer of peace and 

chant a canticle of grace. 

Oh, let the rain rise pure to heav'n be- 
neath the sun's hot rays 
And carry to the throne of God my 
loving, last request. 

Let friendly souls weep for my end, and 
in the after days. 

On evenings clear, when o'er my tomb 
some gentle being prays. 
Pray also thou, O Fatherland, for my 
eternal rest. 



The Philippine Islands. 



Pray for all those who died alone, be- 
trayed, in wretchedness. 
For those who suffered for thy sake 
torments and misery. 

For our poor, loving mothers' hearts, 
who weep in bitterness. 

For widows, tortured captives, orphans 
in deep distress, 
And pray for thy dear self that thou 
may'st finally be free. 

And when dark nigiit enshrouds in gloom 

the silent cemetery, 
When but the. lonely dead are left 

watching by the sea. 
Disturb not their repose, nor dispel the 

mystery, 
Perchance then shalt thou hear cithern 

or psaltery 
Well tuned, 'tis I, O my dear country, 

'tis I singing to thee. 

And when the memory of my grave has 

faded from the mind, 
When my tomb bears nor cross nor 

stone to mark where I lie dead, 
Plough o'er the spot, turn up the earth, 

and scatter to the wind 
My ashes ere they return to naught ; let 

them go unconfined 
To form thy rolling meadows and thy 

flower-covered glade. 



No matter then, if all forget, still, still 
shall I be near. 
Still shall I breathe thy od'rous air, 
still wander in thy ways. 

And dwell in space, a thrilling note loud 
sounding in thine ear; 

I shall be perfume, light and shade, 
sound, color, refrain clear, 
Telling forever of my faith and sing- 
ing thy dear praise. 

Farewell, adored country ! I leave my all 

with thee. 
Beloved Filipinas, whose soil my feet 

have trod, 
I leave with thee my life's love deep. I 

go where all are free, 
I go where are no tortures, where th' 

oppressor's power shall be 
Destroyed, where faith kills not, where 

He who reigns is God. 

Farewell, my parents, brothers, friends 

of my infancy, 
Dear fragments of my heart, once to 

my bosom pressed 
Round our lost hearth. Give thanks to 

God in glad tranquillity 
That after day's long, weary hours I 

sleep eternally. 
Farewell lov'd beings, stranger sweet; 

to die is but to rest. 



AGUINALDO CONFERS WITH ADMIRAL DEWEY. 



It was in December, 1897, that hostiUties in the Philippines, be- 
tween the Spaniards and the rebels, ceased. Just before the recent 
Hispano- American war began, Aguinaldo was in Singapore, where, 
it is said, he entered into secret political relations with Admiral 
Dewey, who was then at Hong-Kong. The Spaniards having bro- 
ken the conditions of the pact, Aguinaldo, of course, was at perfect 
liberty to renew his attempts against his old enemy. 

As a result of these negotiations with the Admiral, the rebel 
leader offered to co-operate with the Americans in their occupation 
of Manila, by assailing the capital with his forces on land ; he also 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 



299 



guaranteed to maintain order and discipline among the native 
troops, to conduct the war in a humane manner, and to prevent the 
natives from committing outrages on defenseless non-combatants. 
He also declared his ability to establish a responsible government 
on liberal principles. 




ENTRANCE OP THE KIVER PASIG, MAXILA. 



AGUINALDO AS DICTATOR : HIS PROCLAMATIONS. 



Upon his return to the Philippines, May 24th, Aguinaldo issued 
three proclamations. The first explained that he had returned as 
dictator because the Spaniards had not carried out their promised 
reforms. He had previously surrendered, he said, his arms and 
disbanded his army, believing that the Spaniards were sincere in 
their protestations and promises of reform, being led to such belief 
not by any consistency in the past, but by the several guarantees 



Struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 301 

the}' had given as pledges of their good faith. The reforms, how- 
ever, ended where the}' began, on paper, and the Government 
seemed helpless in the hands of the friars, who, fearful of the light 
of truth and knowledge, placed every obstacle in the way of 
progress. As the great and powerful Republic, the United States, 
had offered protection, and were desirous that the natives might 
gain their longed-for liberty and their country's independence, he 
had come back to resume his command of the arm}', and he 
now purposed to establish a dictatorship, with an Advisory 
Council, until the islands were completely pacified and won. A 
republican constitution could then be established and a legisla- 
ture elected. To this he would hand over the command of the 
army. 

In a second proclamation, Aguinaldo forbade all attempts at 
negotiations for peace, between the rebels and the Spaniards since 
all previous negotiations had proved but a deceptive lure to lead 
the insurgents to their destruction. All Spaniards, therefore, 
coming to parley without a fiag of truce and the customary cre- 
dentials, would be shot as spies. On the other hand, any native 
that undertook such a mission would be regarded as a traitor, and 
hanged, with a placard attached to his body, inscribed with the 
words : " Traitor to his country." 

The third proclamation shows the rebel leader's humane inten- 
tions, and is remarkable when we reflect that it was written by 
one of " the cruel and bloodthirsty savages " that the Spanish 
soldiery had sworn to exterminate. I give this entire : 

The great North American nation, a lover of true libert)', and therefore desirous 
of liberating our country from the tyranny and despotism to which it has been 
subjected by its rulers, has shown us decided disinterested protection, considering 
us sufficiently able and civilized to govern this unhappy shore. 

In order to retain this high opinion of the never too-highly-praised and great 
nation of North America, we should abominate such acts as pillage and robbery 
of every description and acts of violence against persons and property. 

To avoid international complications during the campaign, I order: — 

First, lives and property of all foreigners are to be respected, including Chinese 



302 The Philippine Islands. 

and those Spaniards who neither directly nor indirectly have taken up arms against 
us. 

Secondly,- the lives and property of our enemies who lay down their arms are to 
be equally respected. 

Thirdly, in the same way, all hospitals and all ambulances, together with the 
persons and effects therein, as well as their staffs, are to be respected unless they 
show themselves hostile. 

Fourthly, those who disobey what is set forth in the three former articles, will 
be tried by summary court-martial and shot, if by such disobedience there has 
been caused assassination, fires, robbery or violence. 

TRIUMPHANT PROGRESS OF THE REBELS. 

Dewey's victory wonderfully increased the morale of the rebel 
army ; while the Spaniards dailj' lost hope. In two weeks after 
landing, Aguinaldo had assembled a force of 3000 men with arms, and 
fought many skirmishes. He had also captured two strong batteries, 
and taken the whole province of Cavite'. He had made sixteen 
hundred Spanish prisoners, and supplied his men with over 4000 
rifles and with several field-guns captured from the enemy. 

On May 30th the Spaniards attacked the rebels, intrenched in a 
strong position at Zapote. The engagement was a very severe one 
and lasted ten hours, the Spaniards being forced to retire with a 
loss of 500 killed and wounded. 

The rebels, now numbering about 5000, full of enthusiasm, and 
well-armed, then attacked the Fourth, Sixth, and Eleventh Caza- 
dores, and several companies of the Sixtj^-eighth and Seventy-fourth 
regiments. The natives in the last regiment deserted, after first 
killing their own officers. The Spaniards were beaten back with 
severe losses, and the rebels, with important reinforcements, then 
routed the enemy, taking many prisoners. Not long after, the 
capital of the province of Batangas was tak"en by the insurgents, 
and the Governor attempted to commit suicide. The Governor of 
the province of Malabra was also taken prisoner, and town after 
town, province after province, yielded to the victorious rebels, who 
daily grew stronger and gradually closed in on the capital. Out- 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 303 

side, in the bay, was anchored Dewey's victorious American 
squadron, calmly awaiting reinforcements from home. With these 
he would aid Aguinaldo to prosecute the war on land. 

THE SPANIARDS FORTIFY MANILA. 



Meanwhile, the Spaniards displayed great energy in improving 
the defences of Manila. The moat was deepened, and all the 

shrubbery wherein an enemy might 

lurk and hnd cover was destroyed. For, 
as a last resource, the Spaniards intended 
to shut themselves in their grim old 
fortress, as if they thought to find secu- 
rity there, although a few ten-inch shells 
from the fleet would lay the whole city 
in ruins. Everywhere facing the bay 
trenches were dug, and modern 9 
pounder Krupp field-pieces were 
mounted, and mountain batteries 
brought from the interior. 

But, notwithstanding these elaborate 
preparations, the Spaniards were lack- 
ing in good modern ordnance and in 
accurate markmanship. 

Another great source of Spanish 
weakness was their native allies. However, these professed great 
loyalty to the Spaniards, asserting that they wished to fight to 
preserve the Catholic religion. These natives had responded to a 
proclamation of the Captain-General, in which he called them 
brothers, and appealed to them to help defend their faith from the 
Yankee pigs who would desecrate "the holy Catholic church." 

A few days after this proclamation, Spanish faith in these 
professions of loyalty was rudely shaken ; for some priests were 
barbarously murdered by the natives. The following day, several 
companies of these sworn allies, armed with Mauser rifles, attacked 
Bacora, a small town between Cavite and Manila, and, after a few 




ANDRES BONIFACIO : SOMETIME REBEL 

PRESIDENT OF SO-CAI.LED 

TAGAL REPUBLIC. 



304 The Philippine Islands. 

hours, captured the place and drove the garrison back to the 
capital. In this engagement several hundred Spaniards were 
killed. The natives of a regiment distinguished for its loyalty, 
massacred their officers and joined the insurgents. It is said that 
the latter lost more than 2000 men ; but thousands were ready to 
take their places, eager for an opportunity to join against the 
common oppressor. 

It was to quell a threatened mutiny of these troops in Manila, that 
the friars handed over $1,000,000 of their immense hoard to the 
Captain-General, that he might satisfy long-standing arrears of pay. 
At the same time, the insurgents received some field-guns, 5000 
magazine rifles, and 200,000 rounds of ammunition from Admiral 
Dewey ; and Aguinaldo and his forces continued their victorious 
advance step by step, the Spaniards daily growing more discouraged. 

In the latter part of June a body of United States troops landed 
and took possession of Cavite ; and in July Aguinaldo proclaimed 
himself President of the Revolutionary Republic. 

SKETCH OF AGUINALDO. 

General Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy is a little more than thirty years 
of age. He was born in Imus, a village near Cavite'. His father was 
a planter, and the son was sent first to the College of St. Jean de 
Lateran, then to the University of St. Tomas in Manila. The 
youth's education cost his father much privation, for the cost of 
pursuing a course of study at these institutions is not less than 
1200 francs a year, and the elder Aguinaldo had great difficulty to 
make both ends meet. 

At St. Jean de Lateran the student is drilled in Spanish and 
Latin and the classics ; and when he is able to translate the mas- 
terpieces of Rome with facility, he is ready for the University of 
St. Tomas. This, like the College, is under the Dominicans. In 
the University, the principal studies are phj^sics, metaphysics, 
theology, jurisprudence, law, and medicine. 

Aguinaldo was adjudged a very dull student, and gave no 
promise of distinction. In fact, the Dominicans finally sent him 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 



305 



home in sheer despair. Aguinaldo then entered the Normal 
school of the Jesuits. Here he made some progress ; but at this 
time his father died, when the youth was forced to return home 
to take care of his 
patrimony, which 
was threatened by 
the lawsuits insti- 
tuted by the order 
of the Recollectos 
— an organization 
composed of the 
greatest land-pro- 
prietors of the 
colony. It was in 
1893 that Dr. Rizal 
created the Philip- 
pine League, the 
object of which was 
to unite politically 
the various parts 
of the Archipel- 
ago. 

Rizal was ban- 
ished, but shortly 
afterward the order 
of the Katipunan 
was formed, which 
soon had more 
than 250,000 
members. The 
object of this 
society was co- 
operation for the protection of the colonists. 

The Government then fearing an alliance of this society with the 
Freemasons and the various secret orders hostile to Spanish rule, 
began to take active measures against it. Aguinaldo was suspected 




AGl'IXAl.DO. 



3o6 



The Philippine Islands. 



of being one of the leaders. A Spanish officer, with a squad of 
native soldiers, came to arrest him. Aguinaldo, when confronted 




NATIVE WOMEN : THEIR UPPER GARMENT — PANUELO — OF PINA. 

by the officer, promptly shot him, then eloquently appealed to 



struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 307 

his companions to leave the service of their foreign oppressors 
and strike a blow for liberty. 

The soldiers received his words with acclaim, and instantly 
chose him as their leader. He then sought the fastnesses of the 
forest, where he was soon joined by thousands of his countrymen 
— all flaming to join the standard of revolt. 

Aguinaldo is short of stature, with a well-knit figure. He has 
the Japanese cast of face, and wears a black pompadour, which 
heightens that impression. His countenance is imperturbable ; it is 
notable for its serious expression. During the rebellion he was in 
hourly fear of assassination. For, a reward of $25,000 had been 
offered by the Spaniards for his head ; and this prize had brought 
into his camp a host of mercenaries, that were only seeking a con- 
venient opportunity to gain the coveted reward. 

Aguinaldo's headquarters were in the former home of a rich 
native in Cavite. With him were his staff and his mother and 
several of his relatives. These he kept with him to secure them 
from Spanish vengeance. 

The house is described as broad, low, and roomy. In front is a 
paved court ; on each side a trusted number of stalwart in- 
surgents constantly kept guard. The uniform of these soldiers 
was a cheap native homespun ; their arms were of the crudest 
description ; but they made up in loyalty what they lacked in 
training. 

The General himself usually wore a spotless suit of white linen, 
a white shirt, with a well-polished front, a high collar and a black 
necktie. He wore red velvet slippers, embroidered in gold. In 
his office was a modern desk, — piled high with documents, — a large 
mirror, two large, strong, iron boxes, — which served as a safe for 
the moneys of the insurgent government, — and a grand piano of 
Spanish make. Against a hat-rack leaned the rebel standard, and on 
the wall hung a map of the province. This the General used to 
scan eagerly, tracing the movements and the disposition of his 
troops. 

Aguinaldo was usually surrounded by various members of his 
staff, none of whom, however, was as impressive as himself. I 



3o8 



The Philippine Islands. 



believe Aguinaldo to be sincere and patriotic. He is courageous, 
and has surely proved himself an able general. 

He has unbounded influence with his countrymen, and while, 
as stated, $25,000 was offered for his head, no one betrayed him or 
attempted to make an assault upon his life. 

He is bravery personified, and inasmuch as the Filipinos admire 
this above all other attributes, Aguinaldo is always at the head. 




TYPES OF THE TAGBANUA TRIBE. 



He is a born leader, and has just enough tact to adopt ex- 
pediencies and make compromises, }^et not seem to do so. 

And in so doing he, nevertheless, rarely appears to infringe upon 
his own original plans. 

In everything he takes the initiative ; in no event does he 
consult any one. He brooks no opposition ; he has had no rivals 
in realitv : there have been one or two would-be-ones, but they 
could not withstand him. He is perhaps not always scrupulous as 
to the attainment of his ends, yet his proclamations are wise and 



Struggle of the Filipinos for Liberty. 



309 



moderate, his conduct all one would desire in even a European 
dictator. Moreover, few have shown themselves so modest and so 
merciful. 

There is a tremendous magnetism about the man, and whenever 
he addresses his troops, he holds them with a grip that would be 
spellbound but for the rapt attention and for the devotion that is 
vociferously manifested. 

The natives, too, seem to be unable, as well as unwilling, to get 
away from his power ; and, to all appearances, he is to the 
islanders the man of the hour. 

Of course I do not agree with him in everything he does, but, 
knowing his sincerity, and believing that he makes his spectacular 
display merely to impress the natives, and so hold their allegiance, 
I therefore admire him and hope that the Americans will co- 
operate with him to give us a stable Philippine Government. 

At all events, the man's strong personality, and his large 
following, cannot, I believe, well be ignored by the American 
Government. 




Dewey at Manila. 



THE WHITE SQUADRON. 



IT was the 19th of April. An American fleet lay in the harbor 
of Hong-Kong, where it had been anchored for nearly a 
month, impatiently awaiting the command that should send 
it to battle. 

There was feverish expectation of war, and bustle of preparation, 
and Commodore Dewey nervously walked the deck ; for, every 
moment the longed-for order was expected. 

It was the 19th of April, and the White Squadron lay gleaming 
in the sunlight, — and yet by the night of the 20th the White 
Squadron was no more ; for she had exchanged the snowy garb of 
peace for the sombre gray of war. The ships' painters had, in this 
short time, given the entire fleet a significant coating of drab. 

The English steamer Nanshan, with over three thousand tons 

of Cardiff coal, and the Steamer Zafiro, of the Manila-Hong-Kong 

line, carrying 7,000 tons of coal and provisions, had just been 

bought by the Commodore, in anticipation of a declaration of 

neutrality, which would preclude such purchases, and thus two 

more vessels were added to the fleet. Lieutenant Hutchins being 

made commander of the Nanshan, and Ensign Pierson of the 

Zafiro. The Zafiro was then made a magazine for the spare 

ammunition of the fleet. 

310 



Dewey at Manila. 311 

Hong-Kong, for strategic reasons, had been cliosen as a place of 
rendezvous for the Asiatic Squadron. 



DECLARATION OF WAR, AND JOURNEY TO THE PHILIPPINES. 

On April 25th war was declared between the United States and 
Spain, and, at the request of the acting-Governor of Hong-Kong, 
the American fleet steamed away to Mirs Bay, about thirty miles 
from Hong-Kong. On April 26th the revenue cutter McCulloch, 
which had been left at Hong-Kong, brought the desired message. 
It read as follows : 

Washington, April 26th. 

Dewey, Asiatic Squadron : Commence operations at once, par- 
ticularly against the Spanish fleet. You must capture or destroy 

them. 

McKinley. 

" Thank God ! said the Commodore. " At last we've got what 
we want. We'll blow them off the Pacific Ocean.'! 

Arid now the fleet was headed direct for Manila, a distance of 
628 miles ; and, with hearts beating high with hope, the sailors 
cheered lustily for Old Glory and the Navy Blue. 

In the squadron were the following vessels : Olympia, flagship. 
Captain C. V. Gridley, commanding ; Boston, Captain Frank 
Wildes ; Concord, Commander Asa Walker, and the Petrel, Com- 
mander E. P. Wood. The Raleigh, Captain J. B. Coughlan, com- 
manding, and the Baltimore, commanded by Captain N. M. Dyer, 
also joined the squadron. 

All these vessels were cruisers. The single armored ship in 
the squadron was the Olympia ; and the armor — four inches thick 
— was around the turret guns. 

In making the journey to the Philippines a speed of only eight 
knots was maintained ; for the transport ships could not make fast 
headway against the rolling sea. 

During this run, gun-drills and other exercises kept the men 



312 The Philippine Islands. 

busy, and every minute was employed in earnest preparation for 
what all knew was to come. 



LUZON SIGHTED, AND PREPARATIONS FOR BATTLE.- 

It was on Saturday morning, April the 30th, that Luzon was 
sighted, and final preparations for the battle were immediately 
made. Impedimenta of all kinds were thrown overboard, — chairs, 
tables, chests and boxes, — and the ships were stripped and made 
ready for action. It was intensely warm, and the most ordinary 
evolutions proved exhausting. 

The Boston, the Concord, and the Baltimore were now sent 
ahead to discover whether the Spanish fieet was anywhere around. 

After looking in at Bolinao Bay, these three vessels cautiously 
approached Subig Bay, about 30 miles from Manila. However, 
only a few small trading-vessels were here discovered, though it 
had been reported that the enemy intended to give the Americans 
battle there. 

When the scouting ships reported that the enemy was nowhere 
in sight, the Commodore replied : " All right, we shall meet them 
in Manila Bay." A war-council was then held on the Olympia, 
and the American commander told his officers that he intended to 
enter Manila Bay that very night. 

The squadron then slowly proceeded in the direction of Manila. 
It was a sultry evening, and the yellow moon paved the waves with 
a pathway of gold, that seemed like a glorious avenue to victory. 

Fearing that they might come upon the enemy at any moment, 
the men were posted at their guns, and, with the greatest quiet- 
ness, the fleet steamed stealthily forward. The lights on all the 
ships were put out, save the one at the stern, and so the squadron 
slipped into the bay, each moment dreading a challenge from the 
strongly-fortified batteries that the Americans had been taught to 
believe were located at every point along the entrance. 

The speed was now increased to eight knots ; for the Com- 
modore wished to be as far inside as possible before his presence 
was discovered. 



Dewey at Manila. 



313 



Through the dangerous channels, mined with death-hurhng 
torpedoes, swept the silent squadron, grim and spectre-like. Well 
did the Americans know the dangers of this undertaking ; and few 
there were that did not momentaril}' expect some exploding mine to 
hurl them into eternity. 

Then Corregidor Island, with its lofty lighthouse, came within 
view, and the ships swept into the chief channel, known as the 
Boca Grande. 

The Commodore, having so far failed to discover the presence 




A BATTERY AT THE CORNER OP THE OLD FORTIFICATIONS, MANILA ; FACING THE BAY. 

of the enemy, naturally concluded that the Spanish fleet was lying 
at Cavite, where it would have the advantage of the protection of 
the forts and the shore-batteries. 

THE FLEET SAILS BY CORREGIDOR. 



And thus, with a full appreciation of the thousand and one dan- 
gers, known and unknown, that beset his path, Dewey kept straight 
by Corregidor. 



314 The Philippine Islands. 

It was eleven o'clock, and the men of the fleet, which was now 
almost past the island, were congratulating themselves that they 
were undiscovered when a solitary rocket soared over the lofty 
lighthouse ; there was an answering light from the shore, and every 
moment the Americans expected the boom of the Spanish guns, 
long primed with a deadly welcome for the " Yankee pigs." 

The narrowest part of the inlet had been passed, and still no sign 
that the entering fleet had been discovered. Impressive, indeed, 
was that long line of gloomy hulls, steering for battle, and courting 
destruction. The Olympia, the Baltimore, the Raleigh, the Petrel, 
the Concord, and the Boston, with the two transports the Nanshan 
and the Zapiro, convoyed by the McCulloch, on the flag-ship's port 
quarter — all kept on in die same straight course, while the men on 
board were partaking of light refreshment. For all felt that a great 
day's work was before them. 

But where are the enemy ? was the thought uppermost in every 
mind. For to the Americans themselves it seemed that they were 
surely making enough noise to be heard by the sentries on the shore. 
Doubtlessthey were asleep, dreaming a Spanish dream of manana. 

It was shortly past eleven o'clock, when from the smokestack of 
the convoy McCulloch flew a shower of sparks. A fireman had 
thrown open the furnace-doors and shoveled in a few pounds 
of soft coal. 

This was evidently seen by some one on shore, for it was just 
fourteen minutes past eleven when a bugle sounded an alarm, and 
from the west came a blinding glare, a shrill whistle overhead, and 
the heavy boom of a cannon. 

FIRST SHOT OF THE WAR. 

It was the first shot of the war, and it was fired with characteristic 
Spanish inaccuracy. 

Again the battery thundered ; and then a third time, before there 
was a reply from the American fleet. The Raleigh, which was the 
third vessel in the line, was the first to speak for the American side, 
and then the Boston followed, with stentorian roar, and the battle 



Dewey at Manila. 



315 



was on. Again the battery sent its deadly missive over the fleet, 
and this time the Concord, taking its aim by the Hash, responded 
by throwing a six-inch shell into the Spanish fort. A crash and a 
cry and all was still. It was learned afterward that considerable 
damage was done by this wonderfully accurate shot, several of the 
Spanish gunners being killed. 

The Boston and the McCuUoch fired another round or two ; but 
the forts had evidently had enough of it : they were no longer 
heard from. 

Meanwhile, the squadron continued its course, though its speed 
was reduced to about three knots an hour, the Commodore not 
wishing to arrive at Manila before dawn. 

A gray darkness hung over the harbor as the gray procession 
glided noiselessly in. Had a Spanish scout been on the lookout, it 















THE SPANISH FLEET, AS IT APPEARED IX THE PHIMPPIN'E WATER'; 



would scarceh' have been possible for him to have distinguished 
his approaching enemy. A strict lookout Was kept for the Spanish 
ships and for the dreaded torpedo boats, while most of the men 
lay down by their guns to get a little sleep. But with the terrible 
fate of the Maine vivid in their memories, the more imaginative ones 
conjured up a shuddering sense of insecurity in a harbor supposed 
to be literally planted with destructive mines. 



3i6 The Philippine Islands. 

THE SPANISH FLEET IS SIGHTED. 

This invisible foe — and not the longed-for and expected combat 
with the enem3''s fleet — was feared by the brave Americans, and 
when the morning sun, in all his tropical splendor, rose right 
before the Americans, under the guns of Cavite' lay the Spanish 
fleet. The Americans were at last face to face with the enemy. 

The commander-in-chief of the Spanish squadron was Rear- 
Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasaron ; the second in command was 
the Commandante General Enrique Sostoa y Ordennez. 

Under Admiral Montojo's command were the following vessels : 

Reina Cristina, flagship, armored cruiser. Captain L. Cadarso 
commanding, 3,500 tons ; battery six 6.2-inch ; two 2.7-inch ; six 
6-pounders ; and six 3-pounder rapid-fire guns ; speed, 17.5 knots; 
crew 400 officers and men. 

" Castilla, Captain A. M. de Oliva, commanding ; 3,334 tons ; bat- 
tery, four 5.9-inch ; two 4.7-inch ; two 3.3-inch ; four 2.9-inch, and 
eight 6-pounder rapid-fire guns ; speed, 14 knots ; crew, 300. 

Isla de Cuba, Captain J. Sidrach, and Isla de Luzon, Captain J. 
de la Herian ; 1,030 tons each ; battery, four 4.7 inch ; four 6- 
pounder and two 3-pounder rapid-fire guns ; speed, 14 knots ; crew, 
200 men each. 

General Lezo, Commander R. Benevento, and Marques del 
Duero, Commander S. Morena Guerra ; the former was 524, the 
latter 500 tons ; batteries, two 4.7 inch ; one 3.5 inch, and two 3- 
pounder rapid-fire guns ; speed, 11 knots ; crew, 100. 

Altogether the Americans had four cruisers, two gunboats, one 
cutter, fifty-seven classified big guns, seventy-four rapid-firing 
guns and machine guns, and 1808 men. 

On the other side were seven cruisers, five gunboats, two tor- 
pedo boats, fifty-two classified big guns, eighty-three rapid-firing 
and machine guns, and 1,948 men. 

It will thus be seen that the Americans had a few more heavy 
guns ; but the Spanish had several more ships and over a hundred 
more men. They were also assisted by the powerful land-batteries, 
and by the knowledge of the exact distance of the American ships. 



Dewey at Manila. 



317 



For the latter had no range-marks with which to determine the 
proper elevation to be given to their sights. In the American 
squadron, moreover, was not a single armored cruiser; besides, 
the Spaniards were at their base of supplies, while Commodore 
Dewey was more than six thousand miles away from all aid. 

Such were the numbers and the disposition of the combatants 
now about to ticht. 




THE HOT SPRINGS OF LUZON PROVINCE 



DEWEY ATTACKS THE ENEMY. 



With Old Glory flying at every masthead, and with the beating 
of drums, the American squadron, after a brief reconnoitering 
detour in the harbor, sailed in a straight line past the fleet of the 
enemy. Each ship was to hold its fire until near enough to inflict 
the most damage, when as many shots should be fired as possible. 
Then to steam as quickly as possible out of effective range ; to wheel 
and return — keeping close to the opposite shore — to the original 



3i! 



The Philippine Islands. 



point of starting, when the same manoeuvre was to be repeated 
—and so again and again till the enemy was destroyed or de- 
feated. 

On the Spanish fleet, too, all was bustle and preparation ; the 
national flag, that symbol of mediaeval tyranny, floated from every 
masthead, the Admiral's flag on the Reina Cristina being the 
cynosure of all eyes. 

The Americans had left their supply-ships behind, and their 
fleet, according to pre-arranged plan, steamed slowly past the 
enemy. Meanwhile, the batteries of Cavite' kept up an incessant 

roar, and now Montojo's 
flagship thundered a dead- 
ly welcome ; while over 
the American flagship was 
hoisted a code-flag. Math 
the watchword " Remem- 
ber the Maine ! " This 
was the signal for a con- 
certed yell from the sail- 
ors in the fleet. And thus 
with colors flying, and 
with fire reserved till a 
closer range should make 
it more effective, the Com- 
modore and his brave offi- 
cers bore down toward 
the Spaniards, who were 
awaiting their approach with curiosity not unmixed with alarm, 
at the same time they sent a thunderous fusilade as a greeting to 
the hated Yankees. 

But the Americans, undeterred, grimly kept their course, not- 
withstanding" one or two mines exploded beneath the water, — 
one near the Raleigh and one beside the Baltimore. Again and 
again the Spanish guns thundered, until the roar became incessant 
and shells were bursting all around. 

When about six thousand yards the Commodore shouted to 




THE REINA CRISTINA ; FLAGSHIP OF ADMIRAL MONTOJO. 



Dewey at Manila. 319 

Captain Gridley, who was in the conning tower : " Fire, as soon 
as you get ready, Gridley." 

Hardly had he given the word— which also was passed down the 
line— when the whole ship shivered, and the eight-inch gun in the 
front turret burst into a sheet of flame, while a dull muffled roar 
belched forth, that awoke the apparent torpor of the whole fleet 
to instant activity. 

The Baltimore and the Boston now took up the cue, and sent 
their tremendous shells crashing into the enemy, who replied 
vociferously. The din was deafening, and over and around all the 
American ships was the shriek and scream of terrifying shells. 
Some of these fell upon the decks, some smashed into the wood- 
work ; but— as if providentially — not an American was hit. 

" Open with all tlie guns," signaled the Commodore ; and all 
the ships joined together in a roaring chorus, as if Cerberus and all 
the dogs of hell had opened their mighty throats. 

And thus with incessant firing, the battle-line passed the whole 
length of the stationary Spanish fleet, then slowly swang round 
and began the return to its starting-point, keeping up the same 
flash and clatter, the Spaniards responding furiously. It was 
at this time that a shot passed clean through the Baltimore, though, 
fortunately, no one was hurt. Lieutenant Brumbuys had the signal 
halyard shot out of his hands ; while on the Boston a shell burst in 
the state-room of Ensign Dodridge, and another passed through 
the Boston's foremast. 

During the third round the Raleigh was carried by the strong 
current against the bows of two of the Spanish cruisers, where all 
aboard seemed too bewildered to take advantage of their opportunity. 
Captain Coughlan, however, did not lose his presence of mind, but 
poured a destructive broadside into the enem3^ His vessel was 
then carried back into the line. 

THE FATE OF THE REINA CRISTINA. 

While this fierce combat was waging, the Reina Cristina moved 
out of the Spanish line and made direct for the American flag- 



320 The Philippine Islands. 

ship, which hurled a perfect tornado of lead into the approaching 
cruiser, her immense hulk being soon riddled with large holes, 
where the eight-inch shells had entered. The port-bridge, where 
Admiral Montojo was standing, was also struck ; but he bravely 
stuck to his post, while ton after ton of steel fell upon the 
deck. 

No ship, however, could withstand such a fire, and the gallant 
Reina Cristina turned round and made for the shore. As she 
swang round, Captain Gridley gave her a parting shot, that caused 
her to tremble and stagger, while the 250-pound shell crashed 
through the bowels of the ship and there exploded, hurling its 
deadly contents all round, while from the shattered deck rose 
columns of steam, mingled with human fragments. The ship, 
now completely disabled, continued her retreat. Sixty of her 
crew had been killed, and had she continued longer within the 
Americans' range, all would have met a like fate. 

Meanwhile, the little Petrel was engaged in a duel with two 
Spanish torpedo boats, headed for the American line. One of 
these she chased to the shore, where the crew sought shelter 
in the woods, while their abandoned vessel was blown into 
pieces by the daring American. The other advanced to within 
500 yards of the Olympia, braving the storm of shot and shell 
that threatened to overwhelm her. As it was, a shell ploughed 
its way into her middle, where it exploded. From stern to 
beam she shivered, gave a forward pkmge, and sank beneath the 
waves. 

The Baltimore, too, was engaged in an encounter with the 
Castilla, that resulted most disastrously to the latter ; for she was 
soon a blazing wreck. 

Five times the American fleet passed in front of the enemy; 
keeping up the same deadly fire, that showed only too well the 
results of American training and marksmanship. And though the 
Spanish guns in the ships and the forts ceased rattling not one 
instant, they neither disconcerted nor damaged in the least the 
Americans. It was now a quarter of eight, and so dense was the 
smoke hanging over the waters, that it was impossible for the 



Dewey at Manila. 321 

Americans to distinguish not alone the enemy's ships, but their 
own vessels, and the signals, too. 

THE COMMODORE PIPES ALL HANDS TO BREAKFAST. 

The Commodore now wisely concluded to stop for awhile the 
fighting", and allow his men a chance to take some breakfast ; for 
the brave fellows, after their morning's hard work, were hungry as 
wolves ; so the signal " cease firing " was given, and the ships were 
headed for the eastern side of the bay, near the transport ships. 

It is related that the Spaniards were exceedingly relieved when 
they saw the Americans in — as they thought — full retreat, and many 
of them stood on the decks and cheered, thinking they had gained 
the victory. 

When the various commanders came on board to report to 
Commodore Dewey, it was found that not a ship was disabled, not 
a gun out of order, not a man killed or injured. It is true, Frank 
B. Randall, the engineer of the McCulloch, died from heart-disease 
as the fleet steamed past Corregidor, but this was not in any wise 
due to the engagement. Many miraculous escapes, indeed, are 
related ; and it is really wonderful that no serious casualties took 
place. The sailors, as may easily be imagined, were nearly wild 
with joy ; and as all hands were piped to breakfast, the decks were 
gay with merry jackies improvising a dance of victory ; while the 
strains of Yankee Doodle and the Star-Spangled Banner filled the 
morning air. Cheery was that breakfast, and sweet, ah, sweet was 
the three hours' rest so nobly earned. 

THE AMERICANS RENEW THE BATTLE. 

At 10.45 the boatswains' whistles and the drums announced the 
renewal of the battle. Instantly every man was at his post, eager 
to finish the job so well begun. Again the American squadron was 
headed to ward the enemy' s battle line ; but several of the Span- 
ish ships were now almost disabled, the Cristina and the Castilla were 
both on fire, and the Mindanao beached not far from Cavite'. 
21 



322 



The Philippine Islands, 



Admiral Montojo had meanwhile transferred his flags to the 
Isla de Cuba ; and the Baltimore, leaving the American line, made 
straight for his former flagship, which threw a torrent of shells 
toward the intrepid American. The Baltimore, however, not- 
withstanding that a few of these deadly missiles exploded on her 
deck, wounding eight of her crew, continued her course till within 
2500 yards of her antagonist. Then from her decks she fired a 
broadside at the Spaniard. There was an ominous silence for a 
minute or two, and both Spaniards and Americans waited anxiously 
for the smoke to lift. Suddenly, all saw a sight that struck every 

man in both fleets with 
terror, for it seemed the 
probable fate of all. The 
Cristina shot into the air 
and then fell back upon 
the waves with a thunder- 
ous crash, while a thou- 
sand fragments of men 
and timbers — promiscu- 
ously mingled in awful 
confusion — were whirling 
through the air. Down 
into the waves she sank — 
that gallant man-of-war — 
the pride of the Spanish 
fleet — down into the deep blue sea. Upon the surface, amid tons 
of floating debris, a hundred sailors struggled for life; many sank 
to rise no more ; some, however, succeeded in reaching one of the 
adjacent consorts. 

The Baltimore, aided by the Olympia and the Raleigh, now kept 
up a deadly fire on the Juan de Austria ; which answered this ter- 
rible fusillade with intermittent volleys, that spoke well for the 
'courage, but poorly for the aim, of her gunners. 

It was at this moment that the Raleigh sent a shell crashing 
through the other's centre, exploding her magazine ; in an instant 
she seemed a crater of flame, and sank back like the Cristina, a 




THE ISLA DE CUBA : TO IT THE SPANISH FLAG WAS 
TRANSFERRED. 



Dewey at Manila. 323 

total wreck. Her flying fragments also inflicted such damage 
upon the gunboat El Correo, which lay beside her, that she was 
completely disabled. The Petrel gave her a finishing shot, that 
closed her brief career. Another Spanish gunboat, the General 
Lezo, also set out to accomplish great things, but the Concord, 
with a few good shots, put a quietus upon her warlike ambition, 
and, like her sister ships, she too was soon a floating wreck. 

Meanwhile, the Boston was engaged in a duel with the Velasco. 
Captain Wildes, of the former, stood on the bridge of his 
ship vigorously fanning with a palm-leaf fan ; for it was a 
hot morning and it was the captain's policy to keep cool. 
The Velasco responded to the Boston's broadsides but feebly. 
Then with a plunge she careened to one side and sank heavily, 
her crew having scarcely enough time to escape to the adjacent 
shore. The Castilla had already been set on fire and scuttled by 
her crew, to prevent her magazine from exploding. 

The Don Antonia de Ulloa, which was engaged with the Olym- 
pia and the Boston, though riddled with shells and on tire in a 
dozen places, refused to surrender. Her gallant commander 
Robion stuck to his ship to the very last ; then she sank with colors 
flying, a signal example of Spanish bravery. Another vessel had 
hauled down her flag, but when a boat's crew from the McCulloch 
approached to take possession of her, she treacherously fired on 
them. Suddenly, from every ship in the American fleet there 
thundered a swift and awful retribution. There was darkness 
around her shivering hull, there was a dull explosion and a lurid 
glare ; and when the smoke had rolled away nothing but a few 
floating fragments were left to indicate the traitor's fate. 

Thus ship after ship of the Spanish fleet met a like fate, until 
Admiral Montojo, on the deck of the deserted and almost-useless 
Isla de Cuba, took down his colors, and, with a few surviving 
officers, escaped to the shore. 

THE YANKEES ARE VICTORIOUS. 

But, notwithstanding the destruction and the surrender of the 
Spanish fleet, the batteries kept up an incessant fire. The Amer- 



324 



The Philippine Islands. 



icans now turned their attention to these, and speedily silenced 
them. The Petrel was left behind to complete the destruction of 
the smaller gunboats. This she did most effectually. 

As the Cavite Arsenal unfurled the white flag, the command 
" Cease firing" was given, and the various American commanders 




THE OLYMPIA : ADMIRAL DEWEY's FLAGSHIP. 



once more gathered on the flagship, their men cheering themselves 
hoarse. 

A most extraordinary victory, truly ! Not one man lost, and 
only six men slightly wounded, all on the Baltimore ; while the 
Baltimore, Olympia, and Raleigh suffered injuries that could be 
repaired in a few hours. 

The Spanish, on the other hand, were almost annihilated, and 
lost the following vessels : Sunk : Reina Cristina, Castilla, Don 
Antonia de UUoa. Burnt : Don Juan de Austria, Isla de Luzon, 
Isla de Cuba, General Lezo, Marquis del Duero, EI Correo, Velasco, 



Dewey at Manila. 



325 



and Isla de Mindanao. Captured : Manila, and several tugs and 
small launches. Besides this, the enemy lost more than 600 men. 
On the day following the engagement, the squadron returned to 
Cavite', where it took up a permanent position until the arrival of 
the transports from America. On the third of May the Spanish 
evacuated Cavit(^ Arsenal, which was then held by a detachment 
from the fleet. The same day the batteries on Corregidor Island 
surrendered to the Raleigh and the Baltimore. And thus ejided 
the greatest naval battle in American history. 



X^^^;S 



lillllllUy 





The American Occupation. 



MERRITT, AND THE EXPEDITION. 



THE Spanish fleet had been destroj'ed ; Cavite' had been 
taken ; and Admiral Dewey lay in the harbor awaiting the 
reinforcements that were on the way. 

These reinforcements had been sent out in three expeditions : 
the first expedition, Brigadier-General Anderson commanding, con- 
sisted of 115 officers and 2,386 enlisted men ; the second, under 
Brigadier-General Greene, of 158 officers and 3,428 enlisted sol- 
diers ; the third, under command of General McArthur, consisted 
of 197 officers, and 4,650 men. With these expeditions went the 
Astor Battery and Major-General Wesley Merritt, who had been 
chosen Commander-in-chief of the United States forces in the 
Philippines. In all, over 11,000 men were on their way to Manila, 
and a fourth expedition, consisting of 1,763 men, under Brigadier- 
General H. G. Otis, was soon to follow. 

It was the cruiser Charleston, which conveyed the transports of 
one of these expeditions, that stopped to have a little fun, by way 
of profitable diversion, at the island of Guam, one of the Ladrones. 

Thirteen shells from the Charleston went thundering against the 
fortress of Santa Cruz. But even thirteen proved insufficient to 
provoke a Spanish reply. However, a half-hour after the bom- 
bardment began, the captain of the port. Lieutenant Commander 

Jose' Garcia y Gutierrez, of the Spanish navy, accompanied by one 
326 



The American Occupation. 



327 



or two other Spanish officers, were rowed to the Charleston, and, 
having" been taken on board, apologized for their seeming dis- 
courtesy ; they said that lack of ammunition at the fortress made 
it impossible for them to return the American salute. They were, 
in fact, unaware that 
war had been de- 
clared between the 
United States and 
Spain, and were, 
therefore, much sur- 
prised when Cap- 
tain Henry Glass in- 
formed them that 
they were prisoners 
of war. They were 
sent ashore and or- 
dered to convey to 
the Governor Don 
Juan Marina the 
command that he 
come upon the 
Charleston. He re- 
plied that, under 
Spanish law, he was 
not allowed to go 
aboard a foreign 
man-of-war. 

Captain Glass then 
sent Lieutenant 
Brannersreuther to 
the Governor, de- 
manding an imme- 
diate and unconditional surrender. A half-hour was allowed for 
the consideration of the demand. The Governor expressed great 
surprise at these peremptory proceedings ; but twenty-five minutes 
after this demand he, nevertheless, made the unconditional sur- 




\l. MOXTOJO, COMMAXDER OF SPANISH FLEET AT MANILA. 



32i: 



The Philippine Islands. 



render of everything Spanish in and around the Ladrones. The 
guns, ammunition, and flags of the Spaniards, as well as the gar- 
rison and all the Spanish officers, were then taken aboard one of the 
transports, and the expedition continued its journey Manila-ward. 
It is said that, great was the rejoicing on board the cruiser and 
the transports as the Stars and Stripes were unfurled from the Fort 
of Santa Cruz; and, while the Charleston fired a salute of 21 guns, 




A REBEL STRONGHOLD : NOTED FOR ITS ARSENAL. 



Captain Glass formally declared the Ladrones to be possessions of 
the United States. 

Upon his arrival at Manila, by the transport Newport, — July 26th,. 
— General Merritt immediately reported to Admiral Dewey, and, 
establishing his headquarters in the Cavite' Arsenal, he assumed 
command of all the American land-forces. He was officially rec- 
ognized by a salute of 13 guns. The three expeditions, respec- 



The American Occupation. 329 

lively, arrived a few days after one another, and all were now await- 
ing the word of the Commander-in-chief. He at once proceeded 
to inform himself of the situation. 

Meantime, General Aguinaldo had removed his headquarters to 
Malolos. He had also consolidated the divers insurrectionary 
parties in the northeast provinces, by which he had gained an 
additional force of 5,000 men, and obtained control of the entire 
northern part of Luzon. The insurgents, too, kept up a desultory 
fight, and were gradually driving the Spaniards back. The latter 
possessed still a few outposts, but these were for the most part but 
feebly defended, and it was indeed a question of but a few days 
when the enemy wauld be driven within the walls of the city. 
The insurgents were already building trenches on the northern 
part of the city ; they also held the water-works ; and this, inas- 
much as the dry season was approaching, was most important. 

THE BATTLE OF MALATE. 

On the night of Sunday, July 31st, occurred the first loss of life of 
the Americans in the Philippine Islands. They had thrown up 
earth-works not far from the Spanish trenches, which, soon after 
dark, kept up a desultory fire. 

The Americans began to reply in the American fashion, the men 
standing up and exposing themselves to the Spanish fire. The 
most dangerous place, of course, was the open ground just behind 
the trenches ; and here the greatest loss was incurred ; for the re- 
inforcements, when crossing this open space, were wholly unpro- 
tected. 

It has been said that there was no need to reply to the Spanish 
fire, as the intrenchment was sufficient protection. However, the 
First Colorado and the First Nebraska regiments, who threw up 
the trenches, suffered no loss whatever. No attention was paid to 
the Spanish fire at that time ; and it is a pity that this contemptuous 
indift'erence on the part of the Americans was not maintained. 

Subsequently, about the middle of July, the First Battalion of the 
Californians pitched their tents at Tambo. This soon came to be 



330 



The Philippine Islands. 



known as Camp Dewey. 



The Californians were soon joined by 

_ __ the other American 

regiments, and out- 
posts were stationed 
far in front, near the 
insurgent line. The 
insurgents at this time 
were between the 
Spaniards and the Am- 
ericans ; but, at Gen- 
eral Merritt's solicita- 
tion, Aguinaldo moved 
his position over to 
Pasai, while the Am- 
ericans advanced to 
the insurgent trenches. 
These were soon 
found untenable, and 
it was Lieutenaiit- 
Colonel McAvoy, who 
commanded the Colo- 
rado battalions, that 
was the first to assume 
a position in front of 
the enemy. He ad- 
vanced the line to an 
old Capuchin chapel, 
that stood in the mid- 
dle of the field, be- 
tween the Spanish po- 
sition and the insur- 
gent trenches. 

The Colorado and Nebraska men, w^ho threw up the new breast- 
works at the point that Colonel McAvoy had chosen, were occasion- 
ally fired at by the Spaniards, who had a good view of what the 
Americans were doing. The breast-work was about seven feet high, 




ALFONZO XIII., THE BOY KING OF SPAIN. 



The American Occupation. 331 

with notches and peepholes for the lookouts. Inside the parapet was 
a parallel elevation of about two feet— for the men to stand on when 
they wished a shot at the enemy. The old chapel itself was in the 
line of defense, and was used for cover ; though it was nearly 
wrecked by the many shells that had been thrown against it. 

Saturday, July 30th, two batteries were placed in position : they 
were A and B of the Utah Battalion. The guns of the former 
were placed on the right, those of the latter on the left, of the 
chapel. 

It was, accordingly, near Pasai, about ten o'clock the same day, 
that the first American blood was spilt. The First Colorado regi- 
ment had just been relieved by the men from Nebraska, and 
were returning to camp, when a Spanish bullet hit Private W. H. 
Sterling of Company K. in the upper part of the left arm. The 
wound, however, was very slight, and Sterling was soon back 
in the ranks. 

Saturday night the Spaniards began a lively fusillade. But 
this did no damage — the men were safe inside the newly-linished 
parapet. The rain, in fact made things far more uncomfortable 
than the Spanish bullets. It fell in torrents, but the inventive 
Yankees tore up the floor of the old chapel, and hastily built 
shelters, which effectually kept off the water. 

The Spanish trench was about 800 yards from the American 
breast-works. It extended northeast, just in front of the old fort at 
Malate, and was strengthened with rocks and sandbags. The land 
between the two trenches was low and level. On Sunday night 
Spaniards advanced beyond their works, began a heavy fire against 
the Americans, and drove in the pickets of the Tenth Pennsylvania. 
The bullets began to fall among the Americans, and the guns of 
Malate roared continuously. The night is described as awful. 
From the skies fell tons of water, while the wind blew with the 
force of a cyclone, howling and shrieking through the swaying 
trees. 

Major Cuthbertson was in command of the Pennsylvanians, and 
when the pickets came in and reported that the enemy was trying 
to flank the Americans, he ordered K and B companies into the 



332 The Philippine Islands. 

trench, and also commanded Major Bierer, who commanded com- 
panies D and E, to the front. 

The Spaniards, meanwhile, with their Mausers, kept up a terrific 
fire, but the Americans and their Springfields soon began a vociferous 
reply. The Utah artillerymen displayed remarkable coolness, and 
worked their four guns like veterans. Though there was a perfect 
hail of bullets, only one man was hit, and he but slightly wounded. 
The Spanish fire was now concerted, and their bullets whistled, 
sang, and fell all round the Americans. Most of them, however, 
were too high, though they sounded dangerously near. 

Across the open field, to the rear of the American trenches, now 
came two companies, under the command of Major Bierer. It was 
here in this unprotected field, swept by Mauser bullets, that the 
first American lost his life. Corporal W. E. Brown, of Company D, 
Tenth Pennsylvania, was the hero. He was shot through the body. 
Many others around him were wounded, and, a few minutes later, 
Private William E. Stillwagon was also killed. The men, notwith- 
standmg, kept right on, and continued to shoot ; though, on account 
of the darkness, they could not see the enemy ; their fire, therefore, 
was not effective. 

At this juncture gallant Captain O'Hara, in command of the Third 
Artillery, still in camp, who knew that the boys in front must soon 
be in want of ammunition, ordered his command to the rescue. 
And they came in the nick of time. For the soldiers in the trenches 
had but a few rounds of cartridges left. Many of the men, too, 
were shooting wild ; others, also, were somewhat demoralized ; for 
the darkness, the clanger, and the uncertainty of the enemy were 
most disconcerting to raw troops ; but the example of Lieutenant 
Krayenbuhl and his regulars, who kept up a steady fire, had good 
effect upon the volunteers ; they soon recovered themselves, and, 
with a rousing cheer, the whole command moved onward. 

Meanwhile, General Greene sent other reinforcements to the 
front, — Colonel Smith, with part of his regiment, the First Califor- 
nia. As Boxton's battalion of Californians advanced through 
the open field, they received the terrible Spanish fire, and many 
were shot, and were left by the way. It was here that Captain 



The American Occupation. 



333 



Reinhold Richtcr, of Companj' I, was fatally shot ; and here, too, 
First Sergeant Morris Jurth, of Company A, was killed. It was 
said that these Californians, not knowing of the presence of the 
Pennsylvanians and of the regulars in front, fired three volleys 
at them befom the mistake was discovered. It is believed, 
however, that no damage was done by the hring ; but it was a mis- 
take that might have cost the Americans dearly. Meanwhile, 
two men were killed in the trenches : Sergeant Mcllrath, of Bat- 
tery H., Tenth Pennsylvania, who had recklessly exposed himself 
upon the parapet, and Private 
Brady of Companj^ I, the same 
regiment. 

It was at (his time that Private 
Finlay of Company C, First 
California, gave proof of re- 
markable braver\'. Finlay be- 
longed to Major Jones' Trans- 
portatioi^ Department, and, on 
account of his knowledge of 
Spanish, he had been put in 
charge of the ammunition-train 
that was sent forward. In the 
train ivere eight carromatas, 
each in charge of a native 
driver. Right through the open 
fields, where the bullets fell 
thickest, he drove with his 
carromatas. The canvas-tops of the carts were soon ripped into 
shreds, and one or two of the natives were wounded ; but the 
intrepid American kept right on toward the trenches, and delivered 
his cartridges. But before he reached his destination one of the 
ponies was killed. He merely took it out of the cart, and, with 
the native driver, he pulled the cart up to the place occupied by 
the others. On his return-journey he stopped to pick up the dead 
and wounded that he found lying along the way, taking them 
to the field-hospital in the rear, then received orders to take ten 




THE QUEEN-REGENT OF SPAIN. 



334 



The Philippine Islands. 



carromatas and to go after all the wounded. This he did as coolly 
as if he were loading his wagons with ha}^ Still, all were ten- 




REAR-ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY. 



derly cared for. The eight dead were buried in the yard of the 
old convent of Maribacan, back of the camp. Every man was 



The American Occupation. 335 

sewed up in his blanket ; to it was attached a tag with his name 
for identification. The bodies were then all buried in one 
trench, and above the grave of each man a headboard with his 
name. 

The chaplain of the Tenth Pennsylvania made careful obser- 
vation of the place, and of each grave. 

About 2 o'clock the Spaniards began to cease firing. The 
Americans, on the other hand, kept up a lively rattle for a quarter 
of an hour longer ; but the engagement was about over ; and 
General Greene, who had followed the men to the front, returned 
to the camp. A few desultory skirmishes took place for a day or 
two longer, in which two men were killed; but the Spanish 
advance had been checked by the first night's work, and by 
Monday morning the battle of Malate was practically over. 
Altogether, the Americans lost ten killed and forty-six 
wounded. 



CAPTURE OF MANILA. 

Nothing of importance occurred for several days after the battle 
of Malate. Troops were landed on the Bacoor shore, and the 
foreign warships took up their respective positions : the British 
and the Japanese vessels near the American fleet, the French and 
the German vessels on the other side of the bay. An ominous 
quiet brooded over all. 

On August 7th, the following letter was sent by General Merritt 
and Admiral Dewey to General Jandenes : 

To fhcGciieral-iii-Cliief coniiiiainliii,i^ the Spam'sli Forces at Manila : 

Sir : IVe have the honor to notify Your Excellency that opera- 
tions of the land and naval forces of the United States against the 
defenses of Manila may begin at any time after the expiration of 
forty-eight hours from the receipt by yon of tliis communication, or 
sooner if made necessary by attack on your part. 



336 The Philippine Islands. 

Tills notice is given to afford yon. an opportunity to remove all 
non-combatants from the city. 
Yours Respectfully, 

Wesley Merritt, Major-General U. S. A., 

Commanding. 
George Dewey, Rear-Admiral U. S. N., 

Commanding. 

To this the Spanish general replied in a polite note ; that on 
account of the fact that he was surrounded by the insurgents he 
was without " a place of refuge for the increased number of 
wounded, sick, women, and children " within the walls. He 
doubtless hoped that his mention of this fact would put off the 
attack altogether. 

And it did delay it for several days. However, General 
Merritt then issued the following order, which was translated into 
Spanish : 

In view of die extraordinary conditions under which this army is operating, 
the commanding general desires to acquaint the oificers and men with the expecta- 
tions he entertains as to their conduct. 

You are assembled on foreign soil, situated within the western confines 
of a vast ocean, separating you from your native land. You have come not as 
despoilers or oppressors, but simply as the instrument of a strong, free govern- 
ment, whose purposes are beneficent, and which declared itself in this war 
champion of those oppressed by Spanish misrule. 

It is therefore the intention of this order to appeal directly to your pride in 
your position as representatives of a high civilization, in the hope and with the 
firm conviction that you will so conduct yourself in your relation witii the in- 
habitants of these islands as to convince them of the lofty nature of the mission 
you have come to execute. 

It is not believed any acts of pillage, rapine or violence will be committed by 
soldiers or others in the employ of the United States, but should there be persons 
with this command who prove themselves unworthy of this confidence, their acts 
will be considered not only as crimes against the sufferers, but as direct insults 
to the United States Flag, and be punished on the spot with the maximum penalties 
known to military law. 



The American Occupation. 337 

It was decided to begin the attack on Saturday morning, 
August 13 th. 

Accordingly, a httle before nine o'clock the Heet began to move 
in close to the city. The Olympia led the way, followed by the 
Raleigh and the Petrel, while the Callao and the launch Barcelo 
hugged the shore. The Monterey, with the Baltimore, Charleston, 
and Boston formed the reserve. The ships were all cleared for 
action, and moved majestically and silently forward. It was 
raining iaeavily.* 

Suddenly at twenty-five minutes of ten, the Olympia opened 
with her 8-inch guns. The first four shells were aimed at the 
Spanish fort at Malate— known as San Antonia de Abad. On 
account of the rain it was difficult to get the range, and so these 
first shells all fell short. The Raleigh, Petrel, and Callao also 
opened upon the fort, and as soon as the range was determined, 
the shots did great havoc, the fort soon being rendered untenable. 

The Callao, under Lieutenant Tappan, and the launch Barcelo, 
which were nearer inshore, threw their shells among the Spanish 
riflemen, who replied but feebly. 

General Merritt and his staff and the color-guard of the First 
Oregon were on the despatch boat Zatiro. 

General Anderson directed the operations on shore. 

About twenty minutes after the bombardment began, General 
Greene, with the left wing, began the land-attack, the advance 
being made toward Malate, under cover of a heavy fire from the 
Utah Battery. 

The troops, with colors flying, marched rapidly up the beach. 
The bands were playing and the men rushed forward with a cheer. 
Six companies of the Colorado regiment leaped over the enemy's 
breast-work and took position behind some low hedges but a few 
hundred feet from the Spanish line. General McArthur led the 
right wing, and was ably supported b>' the Astor Battery, under 
Captam March. It shelled a Spanish block-house with its Hotch- 
kiss Mountain guns, and then gallantly charged the position with 
revolvers. It lost three men killed. 

Meanwhile, the bombardment had ceased, and the Colorados, 
22 



338 



The Philippine Islands. 



the Californians, and the Eighteenth Regulars drove back the 
Spaniards ■ from Malate, and occupied the position, where the 
Californians at once raised the Stars and Stripes. 

In the suburbs of Malate and Ermita, where the Spaniards had 
erected street barri- 
cades, there was now 
considerable street- 
fighting, and the Cali- 
fornians, under Colo- 
nel Smith, advanced 
as far as the Luneta, 
within 300 yards of 
the citadel. At this 
moment General 
Greene, with several 
members of his staff, 
came galloping up the 
Luneta, a scattering 
fire playing upon him 
and his companions 
from the adjoining 
houses, until a white 
flag was raised above 
the southwest corner 
of the fort. 

At this, — and while 
the Americans were 
standing at rest, — the 
Spaniards in the cita- 
del opened fire upon them, fatally wounding two Californians : 
privates Dunsoupe and Lamerson. This has never been satis- 
factorily explained, but it was probably due to the confusion of the 
moment ; for 2000 Spaniards, retreating from Santa Ana before a 
large body of insurgents, that were shooting at them, just then came 
up, and it was to aid these that the Spaniards behind the walls 
fired a volley after the flag of surrender had been raised. 




DON BASILO AUGUSTIN : SPANISH CAHTAIX-GENERAL OF THE 
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



The American Occupation. 339 

General Greene then ordered tht; retreating Spaniards inside the 
walls, as a letter from the Captain-General was received inviting 
the American commander within for a consultation. General 
Greene himself, with Adjutant-General Bates, entered the city. 

When General Merritt, on the Zafiro, saw the white flag, he 
sent General Whittier, with Flag-Lieutenant Thomas M. Bramley, 
ashore to meet the Captain-General to discuss the terms of surrender. 

General Whittier found the Spanish officials much disturbed. 
Because of the Spaniards seeking refuge in the city from the in- 
surgents, it was believed the Americans were continuing the attack. 

When General Merritt himself entered the city, about three 
o'clock, the situation was explained, and a conference with General 
Jandenes resulted in the following terms of capitulation. 

CAPITULATION OF THE PHILIPPINES. 

Officers allowed to retain their swords and personal effects, but 
not their horses during their stay at Manila. 

Prisoners of war surrendering their arms are to have necessary 
supplies provided from the treasury ; when that is exhausted the 
Americans to make provision. 

All public property is surrendered. Future disposition of 
Spanish troops surrendered is to be determined by negotiations 
between the respective governments. 

Arms may be returned at General Merritt's discretion. 

Banks will continue to operate under existing regulations, sub- 
ject to change by the United States Government. 

General Jandenes, it is said, was found in the sacristy of a 
church, which was filled with women and children. The capitulation, 
however, was made and signed in the adjacent municipal buildings. 

The terms of capitulation were formally signed by the American 
commissioners: General Greene, Colonel Whittier, Colonel Crowder, 
and Captain Lamberton ; and the Spanish commissioners Colonel 
San Jose' Maria Laguen, Felix Don Carlos Reye, and General Don 
Nicolas de la Pena y Cuellas. 



340 The Philippine Islands. 

The insurgents were barred from the city. At dusk General 
Augustin, the Captain-General of the Islands, and his family, 
escaped on a German cruiser to Hong-Kong. 



GENERAL WESLEY MERRITT, AMERICAN' COMMANDER OF THE MILITARY FORCES AT MANILA. 

Lieutenant Bramley lowered the Spanish flag on Fort Santiago, 



The American Occupation. 341 

and raised the Stars and Stripes. It is said that while this 
momentous ceremony was performing, many of the Spaniards 
looking on wept ; while the American band played the Star-Spangled 
Banner, and the surrounding American troops presented arms. 

The Americans suffered a loss of eight killed and forty wounded. 
The exact Spanish loss has never been ascertained, but it was 
probably not far from 500 killed and wounded. The Americans 
took 20,000 Mauser rifles, 3,000 Remingtons, a large number of 
cannon and 1 1,000 prisoners ; 7,000 of them Spanish regulars. 

American sentries were at once placed on the battlements and 
along the Pasig, and perfect order was maintained. 

It was found, further, that the stories of starvation were grossly 
exaggerated ; both the inhabitants and the soldiers were looking 
very well. Most of them, in fact, seemed to be pleased that the 
surrender had been made so soon, without great loss of life, and 
before a continued bombardment had reduced the city to ruins. 

General Merritt and chief of staff, General Babcock, deserved 
great credit for their plan of attack, which was carried out success- 
fully under great disadvantages. The conduct of the Americans, 
oiScers and men alike, army and navy, was most creditable. 

Because the protocol establishing peace between the United 
States and Spain had been signed a few hours before the capture 
of Manila, it was believed that the United States was bound by the 
third article of the protocol, which reads : 

The United States will occupy and hold the city, bay, and harbor of Manila 
pending the conclusion of a treaty of peace, which shall determine the control, 
disposition, and government of the Philippines. 



AWAITING THE PEACE COMMISSION. 

Thus Spain was to remain the nominal possessor of the Archi- 
pelago, until the decision of the Peace Commission. 

Pending the conclusion of the peace negotiations, and the dis- 
position of the islands, it was settled that the authority of the United 



342 



The Philippine Islands. 



States was to be supreme. Both Spaniards and insurgents were 
thus to liave no share in the Government. The Americans were 
conquerors ; the Spaniards, as the conquered, had lost all right to 
a voice in public affairs. There was, however, some doubt «n the 
part of the American commands as to the status of the insurgents ; 
who, though they had but little part in the capture of Manila, had 
done effective work in other parts of Luzon, having driven the 
common enemy step by step to the gates of the capital. The revo- 
lution, too, was spreading, and new complications arose every day. 
In reply to their joint-message for instructions. General H. C. 
Corbin cabled General Merritt as follows : 

INSTRUCTIONS TO MERRITT. 

Adjutant-General's Ofifice, Washington, D. C, August 17, 1898. 

Major-General Merritt, Manila, Philippine Islands: — The President directs that 
there must be no joint-occupation with the insurgents. 

The United States is in the possession of Manila city, Manila bay and harbor, 
and must preserve the peace and protect persons and property within the territory 
occupied by their military and naval forces. 

The insurgents and all others must recognize the military occupation and 
authority of the United States and the cessation of hostilities proclaimed by the 
President. 

Use whatever means in your judgment are necessary to this end. All law-abid- 
ing people must be treated alike. 

By order of the Secretary of War. 

H. C. CORBIN, Adjutant-General. 





7-^^^- 




JAN 14 m? 



i • 



